Crews responding to smoke coming from historic former Windsor Arena

Downtown Windsor saw aheavy firefighter presenceThursday afternoon after someone spotted smokecoming from the former Windsor Arena.

Deputy chief of operations JamieWaffle said firecrews were called to the abandoned buildingaround 1:45 p.m. Crews still don't know the source of the smoke.

"There's good visibility inside there's a light haze," he said in an interview around 3:40 p.m."We're just trying to find out what the cause of that is.It's causing us a little bit of effort to get in and see where it's at."

Waffle said there's no concern about structural damage at this point.

"Crews are going to work hard to see if we can stop this before it progresses further," he said.

Windsor Fire and Rescue Services is telling people to stay clear of the area.

The historic property, known as The Barn, is the former home of the Windsor Spitfires. Built in 1924, The Barn isconsidered one of North America'soldest indoor hockeyrinks with stands for spectators.

It closed about a decade ago.

Waffle said it's been a busy period for fire crews, who have responded to several fires Thursday. This including one on nearby Tuscarora Street.