'It's like family': Point Douglas residents mourn businesses destroyed in massive fire

Point Douglas residents are returning home after a massive fire took 50 firefighters hours to extinguish on Saturday.

Diane Desormeaux Wright and her husband were woken by the smell of smoke around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday.

A short while later, fire crews told the couple and their six kids to evacuate their home, steps away from a massive fire engulfing three Main Street businesses.

"I had two of my kids crying," said Desormeaux Wright. "They were scared because we couldn't bring the cats. They were scared we were going to lose the house because we could see the flames just like reaching high, and as you can see on the ground, a lot of stuff came flying."

She said her family waited in their car for several hours before heading to their grandparent's home.

Marshall Wiebe, who lives a few doors down, also had to evacuate in the middle of the night.

"Charting off into the unknown and leaving your property behind, you're like, 'are we doing the right thing here?' but in the middle of the night, this street was completely covered in smoke, and you couldn't see a thing. The only option was to leave," he recalled.

On Sunday morning, fire crews were still dealing with hot spots.

The City of Winnipeg says the fire started at 843 Main Street before spreading to the adjoined businesses on either side.

All three businesses, Lord Selkirk Furniture, Supply Direct and Top Pro Roofing, are a total loss -- a major blow to Point Douglas residents.

"Those buildings, those structures acted as a buffer between activity on Main Street and our street," said Wiebe.

Desormeaux Wright said the owners of Top Pro Roofing helped push her car when it got stuck. She added she was also a frequent shopper at Lord Selkirk Furniture.

"My daughter, we had to throw out her mattress and she was like, 'now I'm not going to be able to get another mattress,'" she explained. "So, it's not just businesses to us. It's like family. We are all families here."

As clean-up starts, the nearby homeowners are thankful they only had to deal with smoke.

"We are kind of airing things out, and we just contacted an air purification guy, so we've got a little system we are renting coming on its way right now," said Wiebe.

Wiebe believes it's important for the neighbourhood to replace the burned-down businesses soon.

"I hope something positive is able to move into these damaged properties, and it doesn't just become a derelict situation," he said.

An apartment building next to the fire was also evacuated Saturday morning. The city said it sustained heavy smoke and water damage and is unsure of when residents will be allowed back.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said it doesn't know what sparked the fire, but it is under investigation.

CTV News reached out to the owners of the businesses but did not hear back.