Building left unstable after fire
Five people were hospitalized after an explosion and a fire at a food complex in Sherbrooke, QC on Wednesday, according to a report.
Some of the victims had “major injuries” and had to be transferred to specialized centres, reported The Canadian Press, citing Dr. Marie-Maud Couture, head of the emergency department at the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke.
Couture did not confirm the victim’s ages or whether their injuries were life-threatening.
Firefighters in the city located about 150 kilometres east of Montreal were called to the fire at the complex after witnesses reported an explosion earlier on Wednesday.
A huge plume of smoke was visible several kilometres away from the Centre de Valorisation de l’Aliment de l’Estrie, a business that promotes locally produced food and is located in a mainly industrial and commercial area in the west end of the city.
The biggest issue is that the complex is massive and contains many combustible items, Sherbrooke fire Chief Stéphane Simoneau said.
Improper management of combustion systems can cause fires and explosions, according to a previous report.
The business is a food hub with 24,000 square feet of space, including industrial kitchens for food production and processing, storage space and a local grocery store.
Simoneau also said that the building was left very unstable after the explosion, making it more difficult for firefighters to bring the fire under control.
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