Crews responding to smoke coming from historic former Windsor Arena
Windsor fire department is telling the public to stay away from the area
Downtown Windsor saw a heavy firefighter presence Thursday afternoon after someone spotted smoke coming from the former Windsor Arena.
Deputy chief of operations Jamie Waffle said fire crews were called to the abandoned building around 1:45 p.m. Crews still don't know the source of the smoke.
"There's good visibility inside — there's a light haze," he said in an interview around 3:40 p.m. "We're just trying to find out what the cause of that is. It's causing us a little bit of effort to get in and see where it's at."
Waffle said there's no concern about structural damage at this point.
"Crews are going to work hard to see if we can stop this before it progresses further," he said.
Windsor Fire and Rescue Services is telling people to stay clear of the area.
The historic property, known as The Barn, is the former home of the Windsor Spitfires. Built in 1924, The Barn is considered one of North America's oldest indoor hockey rinks with stands for spectators.
It closed about a decade ago.
Waffle said it's been a busy period for fire crews, who have responded to several fires Thursday. This including one on nearby Tuscarora Street.
With files from Chris Ensing