Early morning fire shutters stretch of Archibald Street

Fire crews have shuttered a stretch of Archibald Street as they work to contain a blaze in a St. Boniface industrial area.

Archibald is closed between Mission Street and Nairn Avenue due to a fire, the City of Winnipeg said on social media Thursday morning.

The closure is expected to last throughout the morning, and the city encouraged motorists to seek alternative routes and expect delays in the area.

According to the city’s Transportation Management Centre, WFPS received the fire call shortly after 3:30 a.m. By 9 a.m., 17 units had been dispatched to the scene.

Brad Mazer, acting district chief with WFPS, held a brief media scrum, saying crews were called to the scene around 3:30 a.m. by police who were already there.

WFPS crews will be dealing with the fire until close to the noon hour, he said.

There were reports of flammable liquids, and because the fire was well involved they decided to fight it defensively, according to Mazer.

There was significant damage to the building but no official damage estimate.

No one was inside the building.

More to come.