Convenience store ordered demolished after fire

The city has ordered the emergency demolition of a convenience store after it was hit by fire twice in two weeks.

Bannerman Grocery, at 414 Bannerman Ave., will be knocked down due to structural concerns and to “aid in the location of hotspots,” the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said in a news release Monday.

Fire crews were called to the store around 7:25 a.m. and found heavy smoke and flames coming from the building. Firefighters fought the flames from outside the building and received help from the WFPS drone, which provided aerial and thermal imaging, helping crews direct water streams and locate hotspots, the release said.

The store was hit previously hit by fire on Feb. 18.

Crews responded to two other fires Monday morning.

At 8:28 a.m. firefighters were sent to an industrial warehouse on the 1800 block of Ellice Avenue where a damaged gas line had been accidentally struck by a forklift. The line fed a small heater, which ignited the leaking gas, causing a small fire and a buildup of natural gas in the building.

Crews extinguished the fire and Manitoba Hydro was deployed to the scene to assist with mitigation, the release said.

Crews evacuated the building and ventilated the structure before allowing anyone to return. No one was hurt.

At 10:31 a.m., crews were sent to a fire at a two-and-a-half storey house on the 500 block of Redwood Avenue.

The fire was declared under control at 11:14 a.m. Firefighters searched the house and no occupants were found. No one was hurt.

Damage estimates are not available.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca