3 Winnipeg businesses destroyed in major blaze on Main Street
'I wasn't expecting a whole city block to be on fire,' area resident Todd Kisell says
Three Winnipeg businesses are piles of smouldering rubble after an early-morning blaze in the Point Douglas area.
Flames started shooting out of the roof of the Surplus Direct store, on Main Street, north of Jarvis Avenue, shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday. Thick smoke was still billowing from the wreckage and throughout the neighbourhood in the morning.
The fire spread through the roof line from Surplus Direct to businesses on either side of the store, engulfing Top Pro Roofing to the north and Lord Selkirk Furniture to the south, according to Scott Wilkinson, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service assistant chief.
"All three buildings are going to be a total loss," he said.
There were also plenty of combustible products within the businesses, resulting in toxicity escaping into the air, Wilkinson said.
Fifteen homes on Austin Street North were evacuated by emergency crews as a precaution, as was a three-storey apartment building on Main Street.
A Winnipeg Transit bus went to the site to provide assistance. And about 12 to 16 people asked for help, Wilkinson said.
The apartment building sustained a "significant amount" of smoke damage and it's unclear when residents will be able to re-enter.
"We're hopeful as the smoke dissipates we can get [home owners] back in," Wilkinson said, adding there hasn't been any other damage to the homes.
The biggest challenge firefighters have is battling the fire.
"The main building had an extensive amount of materials inside a heavy, heavy fire load that makes it very difficult to get to the seat of the fire," Wilkinson said.
Nearly one-third of the city's 167 on-staff fire personnel responded to the blaze, with three ladder trucks and 12 to 15 other apparatuses.
WATCH / Emergency crews battle Saturday morning fire:
He confirmed three firefighters, who sustained minor injuries, were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition.
Northbound traffic on Main Street is shut down between Higgins and Euclid avenues, while southbound traffic is blocked between Dufferin and Sutherland avenues. Police said the route will remain closed until Saturday afternoon.
Motorists and residents are encouraged to avoid the area.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Wilkinson said.
'My heart breaks for the family'
Robert McDonald, the Surplus Direct owner, told CBC he feels "numb" and is "shocked and devastated."
For decades, the building, which was renovated in 2012, was Kern Hill Furniture Ltd.
Area resident Todd Kisell said when he woke up, the smell of burning plastic filled the air. Kisell drove over with his dog Abby to check out what happened.
"It's a big fire. It's obviously going to take the entire day for [fire crews] to put out, and it's worse for the people that are right behind here that had to get evacuated," Kisell said.
A couple of weeks ago there was a fire nearby that turned out to be in a vacant home, he said, noting that's what he expected again.
"I wasn't expecting a whole city block to be on fire," he said.
Jon Morency purchased an electric fireplace from Surplus Direct on Friday. He works in the neighbourhood and planned to visit the store again Saturday, hunting for another deal.
"It's pretty much burned to the ground," he said, noting the store was a staple. "It's pretty sad to see."
Pawel Pecold, vice-president of the Canadian Polish Congress's Manitoba district, headed to the scene of the fire out of concern for the Polish owners of Lord Selkirk Furniture whom he knows.
It doesn't look good, he said, watching firefighters continue to battle the blaze.
"My heart breaks for the family. They've been around for many years," said Pecold, who bought furniture from the store in the past.
Pecold expects the Polish community, which has ties to several businesses in the area, will come together to support the owners.
"I'm not sure what sort of investment plans would be in the future to rebuild, but this is definitely, definitely heartbreaking and a big blow," he said. "It's very early to say, but I'm sure the community will come together. We always do.
"My heart breaks for the family. I know them. I don't know them very, very well, but I know them. And yeah, I'm sure the community will step up and offer any kind of help."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Josh Crabb