Point Douglas fire sends smoke billowing over Winnipeg
A timber-frame shed behind a historic building in Point Douglas is a total loss after flames razed the structure to the ground.
Around 7:45 p.m. Thursday, 911 got several calls about smoke in the area of Louise Bridge.
Don Enns, platoon chief with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, said fire fighters responding to calls found a shed behind the Brown and Rutherford lumber mill at 5 Sutherland Avenue completely engulfed in flames.
Fire crews battle a fire on Sutherland Avenue on March 30, 2023. (Source: Danton Unger/CTV News Winnipeg)
"We were quite lucky in terms of what presented here, in that the large building – that being the Brown and Rutherford Building, which is a building that is incredibly old and historic, but also incredibly large – was not impacted by this fire," he said.
Enns said it appears the fire was in a large exterior storage shed behind the building.
The flames sent smoke billowing into the sky, creating a plume that could be seen across the city.
Smoke billows over Winnipeg's skyline from a fire on Sutherland Avenue on March 30, 2023. (Source: Joey Slattery/CTV News Winnipeg)
"It was well engulfed, so it had to be burning for a while," he said. "It is quite old, probably kind of a timber-frame construction. It did present a lot of flame and a lot of fire, and consequently a lot of smoke."
He said one challenge crews faced was actually accessing water. He said a nearby fire hydrant was not working, so crews had to find another hydrant farther away.
Enns said no injuries were reported and no one was inside the building. He said due to the fact there was little wind, none of the surrounding homes had to be evacuated.
The shed, however, is a total loss and has collapsed. Crews remained on the scene Thursday evening dowsing the smoking rubble with water and extinguishing hotspots.
Fire crews battle a fire on Sutherland Avenue on March 30, 2023. (Source: Danton Unger/CTV News Winnipeg)
He said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
"Our fire investigator is on scene and he is now just starting his preliminary investigation of this fire."
Enns said crews were expected to clear out later Thursday night.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'