Downtown fire cleanup to take days

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This article was published 02/02/2022 (960 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s expected to take days to fully extinguish the fire that gutted the Kirkwood Block, a historical building at Portage Avenue and Langside Street.

Julie Lola Omoniyi, who owns a shop next door, is concerned about demolition of the building, which will take place as hot spots are put out.

“It’s been so difficult,” said the owner of Lola’s Beauty Gallery and Supplies.

“I’m worried that there might be water damage inside because there has been lots of water poured over (my shop).”

Firefighters told Omoniyi it’s too dangerous for her to go inside and survey the damage.

It’s the same for owners and staff of other nearby businesses, including an Indian restaurant and a Thai restaurant.

Firefighters have yet to determine the scene safe and are still assessing water and smoke damage.

The blaze at 575 Portage Ave. began early Wednesday. Water used to fight the flames froze on the burned-out block and surrounding roads. One person was reported injured Wednesday. The cause of the blaze has not been released.

The city said about 50 pieces of equipment were dispatched and nearly 130 Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service personnel have worked at the site. As of Thursday afternoon, crews had not been able to enter the building.

Winnipeg fire crews planned to work with a crane operator to remove a large billboard atop the building Thursday, before heavy equipment moved in to start demolishing parts of the building.

The building owner is responsible for the cost of taking it down. Typically, an owner works with their insurer to pay the bill, WFPS spokeswoman Erin Madden said

Traffic on Portage Avenue will be diverted until the demolition is done.

The Kirkwood Block was built in 1912 and originally housed a pharmacy. It had been home to the offices of the West End Business Improvement Zone, a convenience store, hair salon, Japanese doughnut shop and church.

Meantime, a fire that tore through a condo complex under construction on Kimberly Avenue Monday is still under investigation. No one was hurt.

A spokesperson said provincial workplace, safety and health officers will follow up on the fire. There are several reasons buildings under construction, particularly wood-framed buildings, are at higher risk of catching fire. Welding, grinding or use of a torch are key reasons, said Ron Hambley, president of the Winnipeg Construction Association.

“In this case, it should be relatively simple to interview the construction crew and find out what was taking place when the fire started,” he said.

In the framing stage, buildings are at risk because they don’t have protection from firewalls, fire-rated drywall or sprinkler systems.

”There are times in that stage when the building is at risk. If these risks aren’t managed properly, we certainly could see what we saw (Monday),” said Hambley.

— with files from Chris Kitching

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca