Seven missing from historic Montreal building

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Seven missing from historic Montreal building

MONTREAL - Police and fire officials in Canada said they were preparing to search the rubble of a Montreal heritage building for seven missing people believed to have been trapped after flames engulfed the site last week.

Flowers were left across a courtyard from the beige stone building in the historic Old Montreal district as workers tried to secure the three-storey structure, which was inaccessible to firefighters and police on Sunday morning.

It took more than 100 firefighters to contain the fire at the building, which broke out on Thursday morning and left several injured, said Marie-Eve Beausoleil, a spokeswoman for the city's fire department, the Service de securite incendie de Montreal.

Montreal Police spokeswoman Jean-Pierre Brabant said investigators had reason to believe there were victims inside.

After booking lodgings through Airbnb, Beausoleil said that the apartments in the building were used by both long-term residents and guests who were staying there short-term.