Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Volunteer fire crews tackle Austin blaze
Handout Firefighters battle a blaze in Austin Sunday that destroyed a hair salon and storage space.
Firefighters in Austin got a call at 11:01 a.m. Sunday about the fire, which broke out at a hair salon on 2nd Avenue, the town's prime business street. Austin is 110 km west of Winnipeg.
With a punishing 50-kilometre wind and the Austin Bake Shop and Phil's Corner Store only feet away from the burning building, firefighters were faced with a daunting task.
"Everything is all connected together and in proximity," said Austin volunteer fire department chief Gerry Currie, hours after staying awake until 4:30 a.m. stamping out flare-ups in the rubble. "That's where the challenge is."
Volunteers from the nearby towns of Gladstone and MacGregor joined the local team, for a total of 29 firefighters on the scene. Members of two Hutterite colonies and tankers from Carberry and MacGregor helped shuttle water.
It took more than six hours and 57,000 gallons of water to quench the flames, which claimed Kathy's Hair Salon and a storage space called Ernie's Warehouse.
No one was injured. Damage is estimated at several hundred thousand dollars. An investigation into the fire is underway, but Portage la Prairie RCMP said it is not considered suspicious.
-- Melissa Martin
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 9, 2010 B2
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
Poll
Most Popular
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Juror dismissed in second-degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Should infants be allowed in the House of Commons?
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife dead
- US teen gets life in prison for killing 9-year-old; called the murder "pretty enjoyable"
- No comfort in trade talk: Veteran Thorburn says closely knit club well worth keeping together
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Restaurant Dubrovnik may be closed for good
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Kate Beckinsale's weight fears over Underworld catsuit
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- Spain mourns death of Catalan painter, sculptor Antoni Tapies, top contemporary art figure
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- New appointees named to Manitoba Hydro board
- Juror dismissed in second-degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe
- Our 'true champion'
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Pardon application fee to quadruple later this month despite complaints
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.