Teenage boy found dead after fire burns down home in Saint-Georges, Que.

A teenage boy has died after a fire destroyed a two-storey home in Saint-Georges, in central Quebec's Beauce region, Tuesday night.

Five other people were taken to hospital for minor injuries and smoke inhalation.

Provincial police did not provide any information on the missing boy's relationship to the people who were hospitalized but say he is under the age of 16.

Police first reported the boy as missing but a body was located in the remains of the home on Wednesday evening. "Everything suggests it is the teen who was missing following the incident," a police media release said.

There are no indications the fire was criminal in nature, police added.

"We are completely under shock," said Caroline Veilleux, who grew up in the house that burned down.

Although she doesn't know the people who live there now, she says she couldn't stop crying when she learned there was a child missing.

"It broke my heart," said Hélène Lachance, who lives in the neighbourhood. "I saw a big ball of fire. It was terrible."

She says she didn't get much sleep and heard the woman who lived in the house wail as the flames took over.

Six people were in the home, says mayor

"It's a sad day for Saint-Georges," said Mayor Claude Morin.

According to Morin, there were six people in the home, including four children. He says he was informed of the fire Tuesday night and that only five people managed to escape. 

About 30 firefighters were on the scene helping extinguish the fire that levelled the home. (Magalie Masson/Radio-Canada)

Morin says the town is ready to help and the Red Cross will offer support to the people after they are released from the hospital.

He said the home did not have a smoke detector.

Cause of fire not yet known, says SQ 

Firefighters arrived at the home on 90th Street at about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday and remained on site overnight. They extinguished the fire by 7:15 a.m. Wednesday.

Saint-Georges fire chief Frédéric Morin said the fire was already raging when crews arrived, and no one was able to enter the building because of the fire's intensity. About 30 firefighters focused their efforts on limiting the fire from spreading to the surrounding vegetation, Morin said.

Major crime investigators were at the scene of the fire Wednesday, but its cause not yet known, according to the Sûreté du Québec.