The demolition of James Street Baptist Church caused a heavy dust cloud to form, forcing the brief evacuation of the Bell Canada building next door on Friday morning.

Bell employees were evacuated from the the five-storey building for approximately an hour after the dust caused the fire alarm to sound.

The majority of the 146-year-old church is being demolished with possible plans by developer Stanton Renaissance to build an $80-million residential-commercial complex.

The dust has been an ongoing issue for construction workers as the walls of the church are torn down. On Friday morning several workers pointed a fire hose to alleviate the debris as an excavator continue to demolish the building.

City spokesperson Michael Kirkopolous said they are aware of the issue and believed discussions about the issue had taken place among neighbouring proprieties.

Kirkopolous said dust is addressed by the ministry of the environment "so I assume they have been involved."

The ministry did not return calls for comment.