Firefighters extinguish stubborn Queen Street fire

Fire crews using an aerial truck hose down a large building after a fire, as an excavator tears through the bottom of the building.

Queen Street remains closed as crews remain on fire watch

After nearly 18 hours of suppression efforts, a fire at 17 Queen St. in the City’s downtown core has been put out by St. Catharines firefighters.

The fire, which started around 11 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, was finally deemed under control at around 4 p.m. on Saturday, and was declared out around 5 p.m. Crews from St. Catharines Fire Services will remain on scene overnight on fire watch at the building, which was the former home of the St. Catharines Standard.

St. Catharines fire crews spent hours trying to get the fire under control throughout the early morning and into the late afternoon on Saturday. Crews had responded Friday night to a working fire on the upper floor of the building, which extended into other areas of the facility. A portion of the roof collapsed and continued to burn, so firefighters – working with the property owner – brought in heavy equipment to support their work. An excavator helped open up areas of the building and allowed fire crews to douse some of the hot spots that kept burning.

While the fire is out, there are still some impacts in the area. Queen Street remains closed from St. Paul Street to King Street to ensure public safety.

The Ontario Street parking garage and access and egress to the garage on William Street is expected to be reopened tonight as the site of the fire will be secured and fenced off. The public, however, is still advised to stay away from the property to allow crews to ensure the site remains safe.

Due to the severe structural damage and unsafe conditions, it was decided in consultation with the Office of the Fire Marshal that there will not be an investigation and the cause of the fire will be classified as undetermined. There is no damage estimate available at this time, and no injuries to the public or firefighters have been reported.

The City and Fire Services leadership would like to thank crews for their work to stop the spread of the fire further throughout the building and to adjacent properties, and for their efforts getting the fire under control in the cold conditions overnight and through the day on Saturday.