Traffic is snarled in the downtown Wednesday morning as emergency crews respond to a multi-alarm fire
The City of Winnipeg says the fire broke out shortly after 5 a.m. in a combination commercial and residential building in the 600 block of Main Street.
Firefighters are currently using an aerial ladder to apply water to the fire. As a result of the large response, crews have closed down some major roads in the area during the morning rush hour.
Southbound Disraeli is closed between Lily/Logan and Main Street. Southbound traffic is being diverted onto Lily or Logan.
Northbound Main has been opened once again, after being closed for over an hour as crews responded.
Crews are expected to be on scene throughout the morning.
NB Main and SB Disraeli are closed as crews respond to a multi-alarm fire on Wednesday morning in downtown Winnipeg. Details here: https://t.co/JQxG6HU0b0 pic.twitter.com/Iulbv78JPi
— CHVN Radio (@chvn951) December 13, 2023
One witness who drove through the area around 6 a.m. described a heavy presence of emergency personnel on Disraeli. "I saw a few fire trucks on Main St., and then suddenly, on Disraeli, there were even more. I don't know how many there were, but it seemed to be at least a dozen," Lydia said, describing the scene.
All occupants of the building self-evacuated. Several individuals were assessed by paramedics, but did not require transport to hospital.
The City of Winnipeg’s Emergency Social Services (ESS) team was deployed to assist those displaced residents in finding temporary accommodations.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
More to come.
