21 PERISH IN FIRE AT A COLLEGE.
AT LEAST 11 OTHERS HURT ESCAPING FROM FLAMES AT CANADIAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL.
ONLY ONE VICTIM IDENTIFIED SO FAR.
STUDENTS AND BROTHERS TRAPPED BY FLAMES AS THEY SLEPT.
St. Hyacinthe, Quebec – Twenty-one persons were feared to have died early today in a fire that trapped more than 100 asleep in The College of The Sacred Heart here. The only victim identified was Brother JEAN BAPTISTE, 64, who leaped from one of the school's upper windows and died as he reached a hospital. Police Chief A. BOURGEOIS said six bodies had been reported taken from the still-blazing building and "about 25, maybe 30" persons still were missing.
The editor of the local newspaper said about 20 persons perished inside the school besides the brother.
21 In Hospital
Five brothers and 16 students were in St. Charles hospital. Four of them were reported in dangerous condition from injuries suffered in jumping from the four-story building or from exposure. The fire's origin was not determined. Apparently it had been burning at least 30 minutes when a passerby saw the flames.
The occupants were warned immediately and an alarm spread.
At noon firemen still were pouring water from 15 hose lines into the blazing wreckage, but made little progress in extinguishing it. They had not been able to get into the building to begin the search for bodies and said it "might be hours" before they could.
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Montreal, Canada – Seven persons were known dead after a fire swept the College of the Sacred Heart, a boarding school for boys at St. Hyacinthe, Que., and the town's chief of police said "about 25, or maybe 30" still were missing hours after the building had collapsed.
Police Chief A. BOURGEOIS said six bodies had been taken from the ruins of the school, operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, and doctors reported another died later in a hospital. About 22 others were taken to the hospital, most of them in night clothes, through sub-zero weather.
The ruins of the school, on the outskirts of St. Hyacinthe, 35 miles east of Montreal, were being searched for more bodies. About 160 students attended the institution, which had a faculty of approximately 50.
Fought Fire 3 Hours
The fire chief said the blaze broke out about 2 a.m. and that his men had fought the flames for more than three hours before searchers could get near enough to look for bodies. Volunteer firemen aided the regular force. Some of the students were taken to nearby farm houses and police said on this account it was difficult to check quickly the number of dead.
As word of the fire spread through the town of 14,000 population, private cars began appearing at the scene and their occupants started digging through the debris, seeking to recover the dead. Every member of the hospital staff was called into emergency duty shortly after the first ambulance arrived with loads of injured. Travel over the snow and ice-coated roads was difficult for the ambulances.
Four Brothers Missing
Col. P. A. PULZE, head of the Quebec Provincial Police, said police at St. Hyacinthe had reported four members of the Order of the Sacred Heart, brothers in charge of the institution, were among those known dead. One was killed when he jumped from an upper story.
Col. PULZE said his reports were that "about 24" were missing. He added definite count of the dead was impossible until a thorough check could be made at the school and at St. Charles Hospital, in St. Hyacinthe, where most of the injured were taken.
