Fire at Quebec senior home; 5 dead, 30 missing

A fire that raged through a seniors' home in eastern Quebec trapped residents dependent on wheelchairs and walkers, leaving five confirmed dead and about 30 missing. Canada's prime minister said there was little doubt the death toll would climb.
Officials said firefighters saw and heard people in the building that they were unable to save.
Many of those unaccounted-for in the fire early yesterday were confined to wheelchairs and walkers and only five residents in the center were fully autonomous, said Ginette Caron, acting mayor of the small town of L'Isle-Verte, about 225 kilometres northeast of Quebec City.
She said some had Alzheimer's disease.

The massive fire in the three-story building broke out around 12:30 am and raged through the night. Firefighters arrived within eight minutes of getting the alarm and several fire departments in the region were called in to help. But they were unable to carry out a complete evacuation because of the intensity of the fire. About 20 residents were transported to safety.
Pascal Fillion, who lives near the seniors' home, said he ran outside to find a group of locals and firefighters already at the scene, trying everything to save the panicked people inside.

For the most part, he said, rescuers felt helpless against a fast-moving blaze with smoke so thick it was nearly impossible to approach the building.

"People tried to do whatever they could, but the fire was so intense that there wasn't much that could be done," he said. "I saw people crying, I saw people collapse because they were watching those people burn."
The fire broke out in -20 Celsius temperatures, causing equipment to freeze, Charron said.
As morning dawned and the fire was brought under control, the burned section of the facility resembled a macabre ice palace, with sheets of ice and thick icicles covering the structure.
The search for the missing was still hampered last night by the cold and thick ice and the fact that the building has collapsed, said Quebec Provincial police Lt. Guy Lapointe. He said the search for those missing will regroup at daylight.

"We can keep some hope for those unaccounted-for, but there's very little doubt that the loss of life is considerable," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.
Retired police officer Pierre Filion, who had a cousin and an aunt living in the residence and who lives nearby, said the tragedy had shaken the tightly knit community of 1,500 people.