Point Douglas warehouse fire could take days to extinguish, assistant chief says

A large warehouse blaze in Point Douglascould keep firefighters busy for days, the assistant chief of rescue operations for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service says.

"We are looking to be on the scene for a number of days, potentially, with this incident," said Jamie Vanderhorst.

The fire at Gateway Industries Ltd.at 2 Point Douglas Ave. forced police to close Higgins Avenuefrom Sutherland Avenue to AnnabellaStreet.

"We have one firefighter that has been taken to hospital in stable condition," Vanderhorst said, although hecould not provide any details about what happened to the firefighter.

At least two dozen units from the Winnipeg FireParamedic Service were on the scene early Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters received the call around 11:21 a.m.

The roof of the building collapsed, making it difficult for firefighters to get at hot spots inside, Vanderhorst said. Nearby power lines also made it difficult for crews to get an angle to fight the fire.

Hot weather on Tuesday also complicatedthe operation, as crews had to rotate frequently to avoid exhaustion. The city says about 100 firefighters were on the scene through the day.

Wind whipped up some of the embers, which ignited on a stationary railcar carrying rail ties nearby, according to the city.

The blaze was so large, that Darlene Settee could see it from her vantage point on Garbage Hill off Empress Street, about nine kilometres away.

"I said, 'Wow, look at this," she said. "I knew it was a large firea large amount of black smoke coming from there, from so far away I started coughing.

Nearby homes wereevacuated while crews fought the fire.At one point a tree line between the warehouse and the homes nearby caught on fire,threatening those properties.

"We got a pretty hard knock on the door. It was one of the police men that knocked on the door, said get your stuff, get out," said Tanya Der.

A witness told CBC News they saw smoke, then heard a largeboom, followed by a plume of flames around 11a.m.Smoke and ash could be seen blowing all over parts of Point Douglas around noon.

Residents who live nearby told CBC News the business inside the warehouse belonged to Gateway Industries, which has seenmultiple firesin the past.

CBC News attempted to speak to building ownerSheldon Blank, but he declined to be interviewed.

Vanderhorst said reports from officers at the scene indicated the building was vacant at the time of the fire.

No information about a possible cause for the fire has been released.