Thompson's McMunn & Yates building supply store destroyed in weekend fire

A McMunn & Yates building supply store in Thompson, Man., was destroyed in a fire on Saturday, July 8, 2023. (Source: McMunn & Yates Building Supplies/ Facebook)

A McMunn & Yates building supply store in Thompson was destroyed in a fire over the weekend.

It was around 9:15 p.m. on Saturday when RCMP officers in Thompson were flagged down by a passerby who said smoke was coming from a business on Station Road.

Police along with the fire department were able to get inside the locked compound and searched the area. Mounties said the store was closed and no one was believed to be inside.

By this time, RCMP said the fire was starting to grow quickly, eventually engulfing the entire building.

The City of Thompson said the fire fight required the combined efforts of three fire departments: The Thompson Fire and Emergency Services, Vale Manitoba Operations Mine Rescue Firefighters and the Paint Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

As crews fought the fire, RCMP said police evacuated the Thompson Wellbriety Centre, which was next to the McMunn & Yates building.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the City of Thompson said as a part of the efforts to extinguish the blaze, power had to be cut for a large portion of the city’s Eastwood neighbourhood on Saturday night.

"Despite a valiant effort, the fire could not be brought under control,” Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook said in the statement.

Mounties said the fire was extinguished and nobody was injured. At this point, RCMP said it is uncertain what started the fire.

Photos of the aftermath of the fire show building completely destroyed, with its roof and walls collapsed.

In a statement on its Facebook page, McMunn & Yates thanked the fire crews and the city for its work to extinguish the fire.

"Yesterday was a sad day for our team and for the community of Thompson and our Northern Communities," the post reads. "We are currently assessing the situation and reviewing how we can serve our customers temporarily."

RCMP said the office of the fire commissioner is helping with the ongoing investigation into the fire.

CTV News has reached out to the City of Thompson and McMunn & Yates for more details.