Fire crews battle blaze in Chelsea

A fire late Wednesday morning has severely damaged a rental house in Chelsea. Police and about 25 firefighters from MRC des Collines responded to the scene, closing the road and attacking the blaze at 749 Route 105 in Chelsea. According to police, however, the owner of the house was in the United States and hadn’t made contact with his tenant. Passersby called 911 when they saw smoke rising from the back of the house around 11 a.m. Const. Martin Fournel said police needed to “confirm the identity” of the tenant, who was not at home when the fire started and whom the police had not located. Firefighters attacked the flames inside the empty house but, because of heavy snow on the roof and safety concerns, Fire Chief André Hamlin said the crews moved outside. Part of the roof collapsed and Fournel said the rest of the house had severe smoke and water damage. Fournel estimated the damage at $200,000.