Senior dead after fire in Quebec City long-term care home
A man in his 70s is dead following a fire in a Quebec City long-term care home Sunday evening.
Firefighters say they were called to the Saint Brigid's Home CHSLD on St-Louis Road at around 6 p.m.
A 911 caller said a resident was on fire in a smoking area on the building's fourth floor.
When first responders arrived, the fire had been put out by an employee, but the senior was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators confirmed the fire was accidental and was caused by an item used for smoking, which wasn't identified.
The man's cause of death will be determined after an autopsy.
Saint Brigid's is Quebec City's only bilingual public long-term care home, housing many from the city's anglophone community.
The local health authority said some residents on the fourth floor were moved to different rooms after the sprinklers went off, and no one witnessed the incident. Psychosocial support is in place for residents and staff.
Smoking and vaping have been banned inside and outside of most CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale facilities, though exceptions were granted at accommodation facilities for adults and seniors. Out of 30 residences under the CIUSSS, 21 have smoking areas. The one at Saint Brigid's conformed to regulations.
"Users may use smoking rooms (reserved exclusively for smoking and only for residents) that meet the ventilation standards of the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS), until the smoking rate in these facilities has been completely reduced," the CIUSSS said in a statement.
Alexandre Lajoie, a spokesperson for the Quebec City fire department, says fires in such smoking rooms are very rare. However, smoking devices are one of the leading causes of fires in the province, he said.
"It's still kind of a problem and there's a big risk using those devices," he said.
