Massive blaze engulfs elementary school in Prevost, Que.

A major fire has destroyed Val-des-Monts elementary school in Prévost, in the Laurentians on Friday evening.

Emergency services were notified shortly before 8 p.m. There were no injuries as no one was inside the school, said Paul Germain, mayor of the municipality of 14,200 residents.

In a message on the social network X, the member for Prévost and minister responsible for the Laurentides region, Sonia Bélanger, indicated that a crisis unit had been set up to determine what to do next for the establishment’s 400 students and its staff.

“I am in communication with Mayor Paul Germain and the Director General of the Centre de services scolaire de la Rivière-du-Nord, in whom I have complete confidence. My heart goes out to our firefighters and municipal workers, as well as the parents and children who are experiencing distressing times. Starting tomorrow (Saturday), a crisis unit will be set up to relocate our young people,” wrote Minister Bélanger.

The new Minister of Education, Sonia LeBel, also expressed her solidarity with the community, which has been severely affected by this back-to-school period.

“My thoughts are with the Prévost community . Thank you to the firefighters who helped fight the blaze. We will meet with the teams this morning to quickly plan an action plan,” she wrote on X.

Ten fire prevention services from surrounding towns came to assist the firefighters of the Prévost City Fire Department .

The mayor thanked them Saturday morning in a message posted on the city’s Facebook page.

“We warmly thank the Prévost Fire Department , as well as those of Saint-Hippolyte, Saint-Jérôme, Saint-Colomban, Sainte-Sophie, Sainte-Thérèse, Blainville, Boisbriand, Mirabel, Saint-Sauveur, Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs, Sainte-Adèle and APALL for their rapid and effective response, as well as the teams from the Sûreté du Québec, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and not forgetting the City’s infrastructure and community safety departments for their essential support,” wrote the mayor in his publication.

“September 12 will remain a sad evening, but the collaboration and professionalism of everyone is heartwarming,” continued Germain.

The mayor clarified Saturday morning that the restriction on drinking water consumption has been lifted, but that a precautionary boil water advisory remains in effect for residences in the PSL sector until further notice. 

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews