Century-old Manitoba creamery burns down in major fire

The Inwood Creamery engulfed in flames on Dec. 12, 2024. (Drenna Campbell)

A 106-year-old creamery in Inwood, Man., nearly 83 kilometres north of Winnipeg, was destroyed in a major blaze Thursday evening.

According to Inwood fire chief Kyle Hazelton, the call came in just before 7 p.m. When crews arrived, they said the building was already engulfed in flames.

“Within another five to 10 minutes, the fire had breached the roof with flames probably rising 20 to 25 feet above the roof line,” Hazelton told CTV News.

Hazelton said the fire probably started at the back of the building, before quickly spreading onto the roof and the perimeter walls.

The fire was declared under control around 11:30 p.m. that night.

According to provincial records, Inwood Creamery was originally built in 1918. It had a couple of owners before it was sold to A. Phillips and Son, who marketed butter out of Winnipeg Cold Storage. Stanley Phillips managed the facility up until 1965.

Some residents believe the building was vacant, however, Hazelton couldn’t confirm whether it was unoccupied or being used for storage.

While Inwood Creamery was a complete loss, Hazelton said nearby homes and buildings were untouched, and no injuries were reported.

“It was a fairly standard, older structure fire in the rate that it burned and the spread of it and everything like that,” Hazelton said. “Nothing out of the ordinary for that style of building.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.