Air quality issues in Winnipeg as major lumber yard fire persists
A fire at a lumber yard continued burning into the afternoon Sunday, causing smoke to fill the skies in downtown Winnipeg.
The blaze on Logan Avenue has been billowing since the early hours of the morning. The city's fire crews responded to the incident at around 1:36 a.m. Sunday and a second alarm was called, which meant more crews responded to the scene, a news release from the City of Winnipeg said.
Logan Avenue and Alexander Avenue between Arlington Street and McPhillips Street have been closed throughout the day as crews continue to deal with the fire.
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"We got up this morning and we live about six blocks away, there was an awful stink," said Jason Martin, who stopped by Sunday afternoon to observe the fire. "My wife is one of these people who has the app to monitor every emergency situation that goes on in the neighbourhood."
"And she saw that it was the Anco Lumber building that was on fire and apparently had been on fire since about 1:30 in the morning or something like this," he added. "And of course, it being a lumber yard, you know it's gonna be a big fire."
Six homes on Alexander Avenue have been temporarily evacuated as a precaution and residents are temporarily taking shelter in Winnipeg Transit buses.
District chief for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service John Senkowsky says humidity and wind speeds will leave smoke from the fire hanging low over the area. (Walther Bernal/CBC)
Acting platoon chief Dick Vlaming said the fire could last until tomorrow because of the amount of building materials in the warehouse.
"It'll be a while before it's under control," he said. "It's just that it's a concrete building and we're not sending any firefighters inside to fight it."
Vlaming explained the blaze is being battled with exterior firefighting, part of which includes getting a large amount of water from aerial trucks on to the building.
"What we're trying to do is ... let it burn inside, but also try and extinguish it as fast as possible with minimal amount of damage," he said. "Right now, the north side of the building is actually leaning inwards, so we've moved machinery away and for safety reasons."
District chief for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service John Senkowsky said he spoke to the owner of the building, who said various lumber products, hardware, paints and varnishes are inside. Senkowsky said he expects crews to remain on scene until late afternoon.
Fire and smoke billow from the concrete building. (Walther Bernal/CBC)
Senkowsky said one firefighter sustained a "slight injury" but was assessed on scene and didn't need to be taken to hospital.
Poor air quality
Senkowsky said crews are more concerned about the air quality of the area. He said the smoke will likely be staying low "for the next while." He's advising people to stay inside with doors and windows closed. He said Winnipeg Transit is at the scene and available to take people elsewhere if needed.
"Air quality is going to be very poor ... due to the relatively high humidity and the air wind speeds," he said.
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Vlaming added that the Health Science Centre is in code grey, which means they know there is external air contamination. At the hospital, fans were turned off so smoke didn't enter the building, but the code grey was cancelled just before noon, a Shared Health spokesperson said.
"Obviously the smoke isn't great," said Vlaming. "We're advising people if you have breathing problems, or even if you don't have breathing problems, just stay out of the smoke area."
Taking steps to reduce exposure to smoke is also important, said Neil Johnston, the president and CEO of the Manitoba Lung Association.
"If you're feeling symptoms it's important to seek help and remove yourself from the area," he said.
https://twitter.com/cityofwinnipeg/status/1688325306627837952
The City of Winnipeg also said in a tweet Sunday morning that people are being asked to avoid the area. They're also encouraging residents who live near the fire to close any windows and doors to protect the air quality in their homes.
Martin said the fire was sad, citing the old building as a loss for the neighbourhood.
"Because of the state of the neighbourhood, crime-wise, homelessness-wise, people aren't investing in the neighbourhood," he said. "So, a piece of land right here not worth much to a developer."
"It's kind of sad because it's business gone and it's an old building gone at the same time."
This article was originally published by CBC News on August 6, 2023. It contains files from Erin Brohman, Gavin Axelrod and Joanne Roberts.
