Point Douglas fire sends smoke billowing over Winnipeg

Fire crews battle a fire on Sutherland Avenue on March 30, 2023. (Source: Danton Unger/CTV News Winnipeg)

A timber-frame shed behind a historic building in Point Douglas is a total loss after flames razed the structure to the ground.

Around 7:45 p.m. Thursday, 911 got several calls about smoke in the area of Louise Bridge.

Don Enns, platoon chief with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, said fire fighters responding to calls found a shed behind the Brown and Rutherford lumber mill at 5 Sutherland Avenue completely engulfed in flames.

"We were quite lucky in terms of what presented here, in that the large building – that being the Brown and Rutherford Building, which is a building that is incredibly old and historic, but also incredibly large – was not impacted by this fire," he said.

Enns said it appears the fire was in a large exterior storage shed behind the building.

The flames sent smoke billowing into the sky, creating a plume that could be seen across the city.

"It was well engulfed, so it had to be burning for a while," he said. "It is quite old, probably kind of a timber-frame construction. It did present a lot of flame and a lot of fire, and consequently a lot of smoke."

He said one challenge crews faced was actually accessing water. He said a nearby fire hydrant was not working, so crews had to find another hydrant farther away.

Enns said no injuries were reported and no one was inside the building. He said due to the fact there was little wind, none of the surrounding homes had to be evacuated.

The shed, however, is a total loss and has collapsed. Crews remained on the scene Thursday evening dowsing the smoking rubble with water and extinguishing hotspots.

He said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

"Our fire investigator is on scene and he is now just starting his preliminary investigation of this fire."

Enns said crews were expected to clear out later Thursday night.