Fire destroys Portage Avenue auto body shop

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This article was published 28/02/2018 (2944 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Portage Avenue auto body shop went up in flames Tuesday night and took eight hours to extinguish, according to the Winnipeg fire department.

Firefighters were called to the scene shortly after 8:10 p.m. to find flames shooting through the roof of No Name Auto Mart at 951 Portage Ave., between Lipton and Banning streets.

One firefighter was later taken to hospital in stable condition with an apparent leg injury, and is being assessed.

A fire truck was still on the scene as of 6:10 a.m., but the area had been reopened to traffic.

There is no damage estimate yet, but the roof collapsed. “The building is a write-off,” a Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service spokesman said.

Several small explosions were reportedly heard inside the building, and a few nearby houses had to be evacuated as a precaution. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The owner of the business said Wednesday someone was welding inside the shop when the fire started.

He escaped the blaze, Tom Renville said, but the shop’s adopted cat, Kalby, did not.

“He was a stray,” Renville said, adding the cat moved into the business four years ago, and liked being around the customers and getting treats.

Renville said he’s owned the No Name Auto Mart business for 14 years, but does not own the building. He said he’s been making calls to find out about insurance and what will happen with the location, but hadn’t been able to get any answers as of Wednesday afternoon.

“There are a lot of ifs, ands, buts and ‘I don’t knows,'” he said.