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Road closures in place, residents urged to avoid area
St. Catharines Fire Services is on the scene of a large fire at 17 Queen St. in the City’s downtown core, and as efforts to put the fire out continue – and with heavy equipment being called in to support the work of crews - officials are asking residents to avoid the area.
Firefighters were called to the fire, at the former St. Catharines Standard building, at about 11 p.m. on Dec. 5. Crews found a working fire on the upper floor of the building, which then extended through to adjacent areas of the building. A portion of the roof of the building has collapsed and firefighters continue to try and get the fire under control.
Due to the collapse, fire services – working with the property owner – will be bringing in heavy equipment to support their efforts and to put the fire out. Given the active fire and the demolition work to support the work of fire crews, the public is advised to avoid the area.
The following roads are closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic:
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Queen Street from St. Paul Street to King Street
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William Street from St. Paul Street to King Street
The entrance of the Ontario Street parking garage has also been temporarily closed as of about noon on Saturday. Vehicles in the garage may still exit via the exit on William Street at the northeast end of the facility, but at this time re-entry will not be permitted.
At this time no injuries have been reported, and fire officials indicate there are no safety concerns at this time related to the smoke. Work continues to address and prevent any risks to public safety and adjacent buildings.
At this time officials have not initiated an investigation in terms of cause as crews continue to conduct their efforts to suppress the fire.
More updates will be provided as new information becomes available.
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