Ottawa and Argyle fire took 1 day to extinguish, fire marshal investigating
Preliminary investigations into the cause of the fire have started: Windsor fire
Windsor fire remained on the scene of the 1370 Argyle Rd. fire that started Wednesday morning all night. The fire was finally put out by 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
The fire broke through the roof of the warehouse office at night. There was also a voluntary evacuation for residents in the area due to 'changing fire conditions.'
Residents were sent to the Gino Marcus Community Centre and there were medical staff on site to check for any potential health concerns as a result of the fire.
Argyle fire heavy equipment being brought in to dismantle the building and assist with extinguishment. *JL
—@WindsorFire1The fire department reported no toxic materials inside the building. So far no injuries have been reported.
Windsor police were still on the scene Thursday morning to control traffic conditions. The intersection of Ottawa Street and Argyle Road was closed, along with some alleyways in the area. As of 8:15 a.m., all roads were reopened.
'Looked like something from a movie,' neighbour says
Ettore Bonato owns the house directly across from the burned building. He said, at moments, the fire looked like something from a movie.
"When the roof caved in, that's when you really heard it. That's when the great big flame started coming up and [fire services] had their work ahead of them," said Bonato, adding he watched the fire with his mother from a window.
He said some of his backyard furniture was burned by flying embers from the Argyle building.
Burned building was undergoing renovations
The 57,000-square-foot building was undergoing renovations before the fire, according to real estate agent Ryhs Trenhaille, who was selling the property.
He added the building was designated as a heritage building and is "a real gem in Walkerville area." The building used wooden beams from the 1920s — which Trenhaille said is the reason why the fire lasted so long.
"The city's lost a piece of its history, it's lost a wonderful piece of architecture and it's lost an awesome opportunity for further diversification of the economy," he said.
An investigator from the Ontario Fire Marshal's office is investigating the origin and cause of the fire.