The early-morning fire destroyed three businesses on Main Street and forced many nearby residents to evacuate.
The Winnipeg Fire Paramedical Service responded to reports of a fire at 843 Main Street at approximately 2 a.m. Saturday. They arrive to find a commercial building on fire.
Firefighters closed the main road to traffic and used an aerial ladder to spray water on top of the fire. WFPS also used a drone to help view the fire from the air.
WFPS assistant chief Scott Wilkinson said only one-third of WFPS personnel were surrounded by the fire.
“At any given time this morning we had about 50 employees on site,” he said. “Luckily, we didn’t have any incidents together.”
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These buildings were home to three businesses: Lord Selkirk Furniture, Surplus Direct Liquidation, and Top Pro Roofing Ltd. WFPS says the building is expected to be a total loss.
“Three separate residences, but they share adjacent walls and roofs, allowed the fire to spread,” said WFPS assistant chief Scott Wilkinson. “The crews did a fantastic job and were able to prevent the fire from entering the apartment building to the south.”
“It’s been a very challenging night,” he said.
Firefighters evacuated the apartment located at the corner of Jarvis and Main as well as 15 homes on Austin Street North. The evacuees were placed on a Winnipeg Transit bus and connected with social services to find alternative housing. Wilkinson said no homes were damaged, but smoke filled the apartment building.
“There is a significant amount of smoke damage inside,” he said.
There were no injuries among residents or people in the vicinity, but three WFPS officers were taken to the hospital in stable condition for minor injuries.
The fire burned well into the evening of February 11, with Wilkinson saying he expected crews to remain on the scene for several more hours.
Global News reached out to the three businesses that burned but could not reach Surplus Direct Liquidation or Top Pro Roofing Ltd. Lord Selkirk Furniture said he could not comment at this time. The cause of the fire is under investigation.