Shipping containers, equipment burned in Wednesday morning industrial fire

A fire involving shipping containers and equipment near a Winnipeg industrial area brought train traffic to a standstill Wednesday morning, as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze.

Firefighters returning from a call spotted smoke coming from a property on the 500 block of Messier Street around 6:10 a.m. Due to the fire’s proximity to nearby rail lines, train traffic was temporarily halted as a precaution, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said in a news release.

Fire crews declared the blaze under control just over 30 minutes later. No injuries were reported, the release said.

In a separate incident around 3 a.m., firefighters responded to a two-storey house on the 300 block of William Newton Avenue. Crews encountered heavy smoke and flames billowing from the home and launched an exterior fire attack. Once conditions improved, they moved inside and declared the fire under control around 4:30 a.m., WFPS said.

A drone was deployed during the fire response to help crews identify hotspots. No occupants were found inside the building, and no injuries were reported.

Both fires are under investigation. Damage estimates are not available, WFPS said.