'Much more than a paint store': Massive fire engulfs Winkler business, closes section of highway
CBC News | Posted: February 2, 2023 10:27 PM | Last Updated: February 3, 2023
Highway 32 is closed between Highway 14 and Cargil Road, police say
Emergency crews are working to contain a structure fire in Winkler, Man., that's affecting a nearby highway.
The Winkler Fire Department confirmed on Thursday afternoon that crews are fighting a fire at Janzen's Paint & Decorating on Centennial Street.
Highway 32 was closed between Highway 14 and Cargil Road due to poor visibility from the fire, according to a tweet from Winkler police.
Janzen's Paint & Decorating is a well-known business in Winkler and is "much more than a paint store," local resident Lena Friesen told CBC.
The store offered products hard to find in the city 97 km southwest of Winnipeg, such as Lego, craft supplies, board games, as well as vacuum cleaning and repair services, she said.
Friesen was alerted to the fire when she was at work on Thursday, and saw a "huge cloud of smoke" from her window.
She drove by the area shortly afterwards and said flames appeared to engulf the entire structure of the store. Emergency crews worked in the cold to prevent the fire from spreading to numerous surrounding businesses, she said
The Winkler business lost their store in Steinbach, Man., last July after it too suffered from a fire, Steinbach Online reported at the time.
Friesen said she knew the original owner of the business, Doug Janzen, who died in a motorcycle accident last July. His family had since taken over operation of the business, she said.
The massive fire at the local business was personal for the Winkler resident.
"It's a huge store and very valued here in Winkler," she said, calling the fire a "definite setback" for the city if the store were to be permanently closed.
"You live in a small town, and you've known people and the hard work they've done to establish a business, and start it from nothing and build it up," said Friesen.
"It's just a really big loss … It offered a lot."