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A portion of Queen Street in downtown St. Catharines will remain closed for at least the next couple of days, as fire officials work with the property owner on overhaul of the site.
The street has been closed between St. Paul and King streets since Friday night, when St. Catharines Fire Services was called to 17 Queen St. for a fire at the property – a large building that formerly served as the home of The St. Catharines Standard. Work is underway to determine the structural safety of the building, which is due for demolition due to the severity of the fire damage and condition of the structure.
As officials plan for the demolition, Queen Street will remain closed over the coming days as a precaution. As it remains an active incident site, the general public is encouraged to avoid the area to mitigate any risks to public safety.
A small section of William Street remains closed to traffic adjacent to the site of the fire, however the street is now open at St. Paul Street, with the entrance and exit of the Ontario Street parking garage accessible from William Street.
The City will provide updates over the coming days as the situation evolves, as closures may be required to help facilitate crews with future overhaul of the site. Watch our website and social media for updates.
The Queen Street fire, which began around 11 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, was brought under control by late Saturday afternoon – after heavy equipment was brought in to help access and extinguish areas where the fire continued to burn - and declared out shortly afterward. Fire crews spent Saturday through Sunday on scene dealing with any new hot spots, but the fire remains out. The cause of the fire has been deemed undetermined, as the damage and unsafe conditions make it difficult for investigation to occur.
See previous releases:
Update 1: Firefighters extinguish stubborn Queen Street fire
Original release: Fire services battling Queen Street fire in downtown core
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