Five dead, 30 missing after fire at Quebec senior home

Five people are dead and about 30 are still missing after an early-morning fire at a senior home in Quebec.

According to the Associated Press, five residents died in the fire and about 30 were unaccounted for, but Canada's prime minister does not expect the death toll to be high.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the blaze destroyed large parts of the 52-unit residence in L'Isle-Verte, a village 140 miles outside of Quebec City.

Like the U.S., Canada is also battling freezing temperatures which made the search and rescue efforts more difficult.

"The cold complicates many things," one fire official said during a news conference. "Some of the trucks froze, our pipes froze, our hoses froze. We're trying to work with these difficult circumstances."

Firefighters arrived within minutes of the alarm, but were unable to enter the building right away because of the thick smoke. Some residents were taken to area hospitals.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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