A MASSIVE fire has raged through an old people's home in eastern Quebec, killing at least three people and leaving 30 unaccounted for.
The blaze in the 52-unit complex broke out overnight on Thursday in L'Isle-Verte, about 225km northeast of Quebec City.
Initial reports said 20 residents had been rescued, but it's unclear just how many residents are missing.
Quebec Provincial Police Sergeant Ann Mathieu says authorities are trying to determine the exact number of victims and learn the cause of the inferno.
Acting mayor Ginette Caron said many of those unaccounted for were confined to wheelchairs and walkers, noting that only five residents in the centre were fully independent. She said some had Alzheimer's disease.
Mario Michaud, who lives across the street from the building, said he witnessed the unfolding drama shortly after midnight.
"I got up to go to the toilet and I saw smoke," Michaud told local newspaper Info Dimanche.
"The fire had started on the second floor. I woke up my girlfriend and called 911. I saw the firefighters and they got to work.
"A woman on the second floor was shouting and she went out on to the balcony. Her son went to get a ladder but he couldn't get to her. She burned to death."
Local chief firefighter Yvon Charron called it "a night from hell".
The building was home to more than 50 people and also housed a social agency, a pharmacy and a hair salon.
Several fire departments in the region were called in to help extinguish the blaze, which completely destroyed the building.
The fire comes just six months after 47 people were killed in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, when a train with 72 oil tankers derailed and exploded in the small community.
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