A Quebec heritage site on the Island of Montreal that was the former home of a renowned artist has been destroyed in a fire.
A Montreal fire department spokesperson says it took some 40 firefighters about five hours to extinguish the blaze that began Sunday night at the vacant residence in the on-island suburb of Kirkland.
The former home and studio belonged to Charles Daudelin, a well-known sculptor and painter whose art has been displayed in Ottawa, Quebec, Montreal, Charlottetown and Paris.
Fire department spokesperson Émilie Barbeau-Charlebois says the cause of the fire is undetermined, but there is nothing to suggest it was criminal in nature.
Kirkland records show that the owners were seeking permission to demolish the building in October 2022; however, the province announced its intention to designate it as a heritage site soon afterwards.
Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe described the 1950s-era home and its studio in a …