Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Firefighters battle blaze on U of M campus
Firefighters work on a fire that broke out in the Duff Roblin building at the University of Manitoba's Fort Garry campus Saturday afternoon. (DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)
Students watch as firefighters work to put out the fire that broke out in the Duff Roblin building. (DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)
A potentially explosive fire in a University of Manitoba building containing hundreds of dangerous laboratory chemicals forced emergency crews to evacuate parts of campus Saturday afternoon.
Thick black smoke billowed from the fourth floor of U of M’s Duff Roblin building shortly after noon, and witnesses saw flames shooting from one of the upper floors.
Part of the building houses the department of zoology, where more than 250 hazardous chemicals are stored.
Bill Clark, Winnipeg Fire Department’s assistant chief of operations, said fire crews were initially unaware the building contained hazardous materials. When university officials alerted them to the potential danger, Clark said crews were immediately called out of the building and a three-alarm event was called.
That prompted dozens of fire trucks, police cruisers, environmental crews, and the hazardous materials unit to descend on the Fort Garry campus.
Police quickly taped off Dysart Road to traffic, and students were forced to leave buildings in the immediate area. Within an hour, the entire U of M campus was closed to anyone trying to enter, including frantic parents wanting to pick up their children from music lessons or athletic events.
"It was very significant, it requires a large number of resources," Clark said.
"There were lots of materials burning."
Intense heat and the chemicals made it impossible for fire crews to tackle the blaze from the inside. Instead, Clark said crews opened up the side of the building to contain the blaze.
It worked, but the building suffered extensive damage. The fire was out by 3 p.m., but Clark said most of the building was damaged by smoke.
Environmental crews must test the air quality before investigators will be able to determine the cause of the blaze and estimate damages. No one was hurt.
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11 Comments
Posted by: NestorR
March 29, 2009 at 4:09 AM
Extensive damage to the "Duff Roblin" building..... Let's hope this isn't some sort of advance evil omen with respect to "Duff's Ditch" and the potential of flooding in and around Winnipeg.....
Posted by: Nome
March 28, 2009 at 6:43 PM
I received an e-mail from a professor through Undergraduate Psychology Student Association, who notified us that the fire started on 3rd or 4th floor of the Zoology side, and that the damage is significant, destroying a substantial part of the building. The animals (in the basement level) are thought to be fine.
Posted by: The Wiz
March 28, 2009 at 5:34 PM
I meant 5th floor...sorry.
Posted by: g35
March 28, 2009 at 4:46 PM
No more plume of smoke above the building so I guess it's under control. And the campus wasn't evacuated. I live in the nearest student residence building to the fire and no official-type persons came over.
Posted by: prairiedog
March 28, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Human Nutritional Sciences is on the 5th floor. Biological Sciences is on the 4th floor where the fire started.
Posted by: The Wiz
March 28, 2009 at 3:44 PM
I was a grad student who worked in those labs so unless they've drastically changed things in the last year that area is still home to the Nutritional Sciences lab. I wouldn't be suprised if the fire originated from the lab given the volatility of a lot of the chemicals within the lab. The area where the flames are coming from is only a feww feet from one of the main labs.
Posted by: Derek
March 28, 2009 at 3:34 PM
Incorrect, I had many a lab on the 3rd floor when I was in Zoology.
Posted by: Reader
March 28, 2009 at 3:32 PM
True, the undergrad teaching labs are on the first floor, but the individual prof's research labs are all on the 3rd and 4th floors. There is alot of very expensive equipment and important research material up there. Hope to hear that no one was injured, firefighters included!
Posted by: The Wiz
March 28, 2009 at 3:30 PM
Actually, the area where the flames are coming from on the 4th floor is the Human Nutritional Sciences Lab...and there are a lot of chemicals in there...as will as millions of dollars in equipment.
Posted by: aedes.ag
March 28, 2009 at 3:04 PM
I got to the campus at around 1pm. At that time, there were numerous emergency vehicles at the seen. Smoke could be seen coming out of the third floor windows on both the north and south side of the Duff Roblin Building. I overheard people who were talking at the time mentioning that they were under the impression that the fire had started sometime overnight in a lab or something along those lines. Around maybe 2pm, Machray Hall and the Science and Technology Library were evacuated. Myself and other people there were under the impression that this was because of unknown risk from potential fumes from the fire. Around 2:30, I was in University Center. I had heard that the campus was supposed to be being evacuated, but only via news reports. No one, or at least few, on campus seemed to have heard this. Degrees was closing early, however. At this point, I decided to go home. All roads entering the campus were closed off. A police officer I talked to mentioned that they were planning to evacuate the entire campus. So I don't think anyone has any idea as to whether they are evacuating the entire campus or not, at this point in time.
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