Crew remains on site of fire on Logan Avenue, roads reopen

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This article was published 07/08/2023 (847 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A fire that broke out early Sunday morning in the 900 block of Logan Avenue was still under surveillance Monday afternoon as a lone firefighting crew stayed behind to extinguish remaining hotspots.

Crews were called to the scene at 1:36 a.m. Sunday after hearing reports of a large commercial fire at the Anco Lumber building. They stayed on-site overnight while a demolition crew helped remove parts of the building so firefighters could access hotspots.

The fire had closed down Logan and Alexander avenues between McPhillips Street and Arlington Street, but both streets were reopened Monday afternoon.

In a media release sent late Monday afternoon, the City of Winnipeg said the demolition crew had left the scene but one firefighting crew remained to ensure the fire is extinguished.

Around 10:30 a.m., a single fire truck hosed the south side of the building. In stark contrast to the dark clouds that had billowed in the area Sunday morning, the smoke had mostly subsided. A chemical smell could be detected close to the site of the fire.

While talking to reporters late Sunday morning, Dick Vlaming, the acting platoon chief of the Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service, said 16 firefighters arrived on the scene for the initial response. An additional 16 were deployed when a second alarm was called.

“After that, we just keep adding,” he told reporters Sunday. “At one point, we could’ve had about 50 firefighters at the scene.”

Air quality was a primary concern for the fire department, as Vlaming said the smoke was “toxic.”

The residents of six homes located south of the building on Alexander Avenue were evacuated onto two Winnipeg Transit buses. They have since been able to return to their homes.

Health Sciences Centre was put on Code Grey for external/internal air contamination.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

cierra.bettens@freepress.mb.ca