A smoky fire at a St. Boniface auto shop sent five area residents and a bystander to hospital on Thursday night.

Flames lit up the sky above St. Boniface, as Winnipeg firefighters staged a defensive battle against the fire, which sent thick smoke billowing into the air.

According to a tweet from the United Firefighters of Winnipeg, crews began fighting the fire some time after 8 p.m.

A witness at the scene said flames appeared to be licking out of the roof of an auto shop at the corner of Provencher Boulevard and St. Joseph Street. About half a dozen fire trucks were on the scene.

At 9:23 p.m., the City of Winnipeg sent a tweet saying crews were fighting a fire in a commercial building in the 100 block of Provencher between Tache Avenue and Aulneau Street.

Motorists and residents were being advised to avoid the area.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service platoon Chief Alden Darragh told CBC News he had no reports of anyone being inside the structure when his crews arrived. He said approximately 28 firefighters were brought in to battle the blaze.

Darragh confirmed flames had broken through the roof of the building and said his crews would be in a defensive mode "for quite some time."

All six people transported to hospital for smoke inhalation were in stable condition, according to a news release late Thursday.

Community members who are experiencing smoky conditions should stay indoors and shut their windows, the city said.

Provencher will be closed to traffic between Tache and Aulneau until further notice. ​