Spectacular collapse of a building in Outremont

A residential building under renovation suddenly collapsed Friday morning and several pieces of debris fell onto the sidewalk and into the street, on a very busy thoroughfare in the Outremont district of Montreal.

For reasons still unknown, the front part of the two-story building collapsed around 9:30 a.m. on Van Horne Avenue.

Luckily, no one was in or in front of the building. The consequences could easily have been much more serious.

According to authorities, the building was abandoned, but was undergoing renovation.

By mid-morning, numerous firefighters were at the scene of the collapse, while Van Horne Avenue was completely closed to traffic, between Querbes and de l’Épée avenues.