Fire under control after burning all day at Davie shipyard in Lévis, Que.
Lévis fire department says all available firefighters were called to the scene
A large fire is finally under control after burning inside an empty industrial building at the Chantier Davie Canada Inc. shipyard in Lévis, Que., for most of the day Wednesday.
The Lévis fire department said all available firefighters were called in to help extinguish the fire. Six water bombers, three aerial rescue units and heavy hydraulic machinery were also deployed.
Thick dark smoke was visible from downtown Quebec City.
"We're working hard and trying to control the spread of the fire," said the city's deputy fire Chief Richard Amnotte earlier in the day.
He confirmed that no one was inside the building when the flames started, and that everyone nearby was safely removed from the area.
The two-storey wooden building, which is about the size of a soccer field and was supposed to be demolished, served as a storage space for unused equipment and contains combustible material, Amnotte said.
He said the fire consumed at least half of the structure and was on track to spread, so the fire department raised the alarm level to general.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
"Our first priority is the safety of the people," said Marcel Poulin, a spokesperson for the Davie shipyard, earlier in the day.
He said the company had stopped all activities for the day because the power was shut down to allow firefighters to stop the fire.
Poulin said a decision on whether the temporary suspension of activities will be extended will be communicated later in the day.
With files from Franca G. Mignacca