Massive Sutherland Ave. structure fire may have been arson, Winnipeg police say

A massive blaze that tore through a partially empty industrial warehouse in North Point Douglas may have been intentionally set.

Winnipeg police confirmed Friday they’re investigating Tuesday’s Sutherland Avenue fire as a possible arson.

The building, which was once home to Vulcan Ironworks and supplied many of downtown’s historic buildings with iron, was reduced to rubble after catching fire around 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

Firefighters remained at the scene well into the following day, tackling any remaining hot spots. The incident also displaced a number of area residents, with a number of homes evacuated early Tuesday, and others urged to shelter in place and close windows and doors due to concerns about toxic smoke.

1:19 Sutherland Avenue fire debris faces similar future to remains February fire, resident says

No one was injured in the fire.

The blaze has brought more attention to an existing problem in the area and citywide — a rash of fires at vacant Winnipeg buildings, as well as slow-moving cleanup efforts after those fires have burned, leaving unsightly rubble and debris in residential neighbourhoods, sometimes for months.

Tom Wallace of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg that fire investigators have been working with police from the outset of the fire in an effort to determine what happened.

0:53 Burned-down Sutherland building closes chapter in Winnipeg’s industrial history