The La Broquerie Seniors’ Home was evacuated Saturday night after smoke began filling the building.

Fire Chief Alain Nadeau says his crews were called to Le Chalet around 10:00 PM to help get people safely out of the building.

“We have our protocols, we know which people need help and which people can get out themselves,” comments the chief.

When crews arrived, Nadeau says they quickly determined the cause of the fire: “those beanbag neck pillows you warm up in the microwave… somebody left it in a little bit too long and it caught fire.”

Nadeau guesses the pillow was heating up in the microwave for roughly 20 minutes before it ignited. 

Firefighters spent a couple of hours ventilating the building and Nadeau says most residents were able to return to their rooms soon after. However, he notes that the room where the fire originated did sustain heavy smoke damage and will be uninhabitable until it is repaired.