Fire breaks out at southeast Calgary roofing company

CALGARY – Dark smoke could be seen all over the city on Tuesday, after a large fire broke out at a southeast roofing company.

Firefighters rushed to the 1600 block of 42 Avenue S.E. just after 10:30 a.m.

The fire quickly engulfed IKO Industries, forcing officials to evacuate surrounding buildings.

“All of a sudden we heard little pops and we went outside,” says Mark Sebert, who works at a nearby business. “No big explosions or anything like that and then the fire department showed up and that was it.”

Officials with IKO industries say that the fire was triggered in an area that was in the process of demolition.

They say that a production line was shut down around a year ago, and that’s where most of the damage was contained.

Many watched the inferno nervously including Josh Beaulieu, who was worried about his brother inside.

“I just want to make sure that he’s okay and that everybody got out of there okay and safe,” Beaulieu says.

Beaulieu’s brother and all of the employees were evacuated from the building safely.

Firefighters remained at the scene overnight, working to douse any hot spots that flared up. They were not able to enter the structure as it had been weakened by the fire and interior renovations.

IKO Industries houses shingles and roofing materials, and has had several other fires in the past.

The business maintains this is a rare occurrence and all past incidents were minor.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.