Three dead in apartment fire

Photo: CTV News

Three people died in an apartment fire in Longueuil, Que. Friday night.

Officials say three members of the same family died and 11 others were injured after a fire broke out in an apartment in Longueuil, Que.

The fire broke out in an apartment building with several dozen units early Saturday morning.

Longueil police say 14 people were taken to hospital, where a couple in their forties and a woman in her sixties died.

Const. Ghislain Vallieres says some of the others in hospital were injured jumping from their balconies to escape the flames.

Police say one tenant is still missing, but there's no indication that person was at home when the fire broke out.

Officials say strong winds in the area made it harder for firefighters to battle the blaze, but it was finally put out at 8:30 a.m. — more than seven hours after the flames sprung up.

Vallieres says police officers were working their way through the rubble, but the process was slow-going because the building had been weakened in the fire.

The cause of the fire has not yet been released.