Two fires broke out in less than an hour in the same area of Cowansville early Tuesday morning.

The fires in the Eastern Townships did not appear to cause much damage and no one was injured.

Firefighters were first notified of a blaze around 12:10 a.m. starting in a six-unit apartment building on Ste-Thérèse St. The flames caused the most damage to the outside of the structure.

One woman had some minor difficulties due to smoke inhalation and several people were evacuated from the building.
  
Then, around 1 a.m., only a few hundred metres away, another fire sparked, this time in a garage attached to the main building of the Consoltex plant on Willard St.

The Sûreté du Québec reported that some textile factory employees were on site when the fire broke out but no one was injured.

So far, the SQ said it remains unclear whether there is a link between the two fires and whether there is any criminal element involved.