A shop was destroyed by fire Tuesday afternoon in the Rural Municipality of Hanover.

Fire Chief Paul Wiebe says they received the call shortly after noon, to a structure fire along Road 31 North, which is southwest of Steinbach. Crews arrived to find the inside of the shop on fire.

"It had started burning sometime before the owners had noticed it, closed the doors, and called 911," says Wiebe.

Wiebe says it became a defensive battle and crews had the fire extinguished in about 30 to 40 minutes. They remained on scene for another 60 to 90 minutes to take care of the hot spots.

According to Wiebe, the shop is no longer structurally sound and will be a total loss. He notes most of its contents are either lost or damaged. 

"He stored a lot of tools and valuables to them," notes Wiebe. "So, there's a fair amount of contents in it. It was basically used for storage and for general shop purposes."

Wiebe says the cause of the fire remains under investigation. He notes damage is estimated at $150,000.

"It was insured, so that's a good thing," he says. "The shop will have to come down."

Wiebe says there was a camper and trailer parked on either side of the shop that were not damaged. He notes the structure is covered in tin, which prevented the fire from spreading to anything nearby.

He adds there were no injuries. 

A shop was destroyed by fire Tuesday in Hanover (Submitted)