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Historic Montreal church destroyed by fire; flames spread to adjacent retirement home

Historic Montreal church destroyed by fire; flames spread to adjacent retirement home | iNFOnews.ca
Firefighters respond to a five-alarm fire at Saint-Paul Catholic Church, a designated heritage site, in Montreal on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

MONTREAL — A fire has destroyed a historic former church in southwestern Montreal and the flames spread to an adjacent seniors home.

The fire broke out around 1:40 a.m. in the former Saint-Paul Church in the city’s Sud-Ouest borough.

No one was inside the building when it caught fire but officials evacuated 148 people from the nearby area as a precaution.

Among the evacuees were 73 people in the church’s former rectory, which had been converted into a seniors residence.

Firefighters said the flames spread to the seniors residence after it was evacuated.

The church was built between 1910-11 and is part of a heritage site comprised of a few buildings in the area.

Officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2026.

Historic Montreal church destroyed by fire; flames spread to adjacent retirement home | iNFOnews.ca
Firefighters respond to a five-alarm fire at Saint-Paul Catholic Church, a designated heritage site, in Montreal on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

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The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press is Canada's trusted news source and leader in providing real-time, bilingual multimedia stories across print, broadcast and digital platforms.

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