Grim Search at Burned-Out Seniors' Home Buried in Ice

Cig may have caused fire that killed dozens
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 27, 2014 1:33 AM CST
More Bodies Pulled From Burnt Old People's Home
Emergency workers continue the search for victims in L'Isle-Verte, Quebec, at the scene of a fatal fire at a seniors residence    (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

Work crews have resumed the grim task of searching for ice-covered bodies in the wreckage of a seniors' residence in Quebec, where a blaze is believed to have killed more than 30 people. Search teams working in bitter weather conditions are using hot air to melt more than 20 inches of ice and find the 22 elderly people still listed as missing, reports the Montreal Gazette. Ten people are confirmed dead.

The tragedy has shaken L'Isle-Verte, a town of around 1,400 people, and rumors are flying about the start of the blaze. According to some reports, the fire began after a night watchman told an elderly resident known for his stubbornness that he couldn't smoke outside, but investigators stress that they are examining many different possible causes. The Red Cross has raised around $180,000 to provide the 20 residents who survived the blaze with clothes, wheelchairs, and other essentials, the BBC reports. (More Quebec stories.)

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