The Montreal police arson squad is investigating, and several people are homeless, following an apartment fire downtown.
It broke out at around 2 a.m. Wednesday at 3484 Hutchison between Sherbrooke and Milton.
The fire was contained to one apartment but a number of other units were also damaged.
Some 30 people were chased out into the frigid night, including an elderly man and his cat.
The man had no coat, and a police officer was seen giving the man his jacket.
The fire appears to have started in the back of the building.
Pierrefonds fire
Later in the morning, a sign company went up in flames in Pierrefonds.
The fire started at around 4:45 a.m. at Sticky Grafix on 4718 St. Jean boulevard.
Other businesses in the one-storey strip mall were damaged by smoke and water.
There's no word on the cause of the fire.
