Fire update, air quality alert issued as smoke continues from fire in Steinbach

Residents of Steinbach are urged to stay indoors and close windows tonight as smoke is still heavy due to a huge fire on Main Street. 

Fire Chief Kel Toews says the air is more toxic than with many other fires, due to the contents inside the building that has been burning for many hours. 

Toews also advises residents to turn off ventilation systems so the smoke will not be pulled inside homes. 

The fire department was alerted Sunday afternoon at 3:22pm that there was smoke inside the building at Best West Pet Foods. 

“We arrived; the building was charged with smoke,” Toews reports. “We sent a couple of crews in. Conditions were such that we had to pull them out. It was too dangerous to have people inside the building. And basically, we changed it to a defensive attack, and it’s been defensive ever since.” 

With the type of contents inside the building, such as cans of paint and flooring, Toews says it became too dangerous to have anyone fight the fire from the inside. 

As a result of the heavy smoke, an alert has been issued to city residents. It reads as follows: 

“10:15pm - July 10, 2022 

Steinbach Fire Department continues to battle a significant fire on Main Street between Friesen Avenue and Reimer Avenue. Due to the contents of the structures involved in the fire, the resulting smoke is considered toxic. Residents in the area, or anyone with respiratory issues, should remain indoors, close all windows and doors, and shut off ventilation systems until further notice. 

We also ask that residents stay clear of the area to allow fire personnel to continue their work without interference.” 

Main Street has been closed between Highway 12 and Reimer Avenue. Toews is not sure what the morning commute will look like through downtown Steinbach. He is hopeful to have a normal traffic flow along Main Street. 

He says fire crews will have a long night ahead with a lot more work that needs to be done. 

“We’ll be here all night,” Toews says. “We’ve just called for a backhoe, and we’re going to start peeling it apart, getting at some of the stubborn fire underneath the collapse.” 

He adds that the Fire Commissioner will attend the scene to determine the cause of the fire. 

“So, we’ll be here for quite some time,” Toews acknowledges. 

He appreciates the additional support from fire departments in Kleefeld, Blumenort and La Broquerie. 

“It’s very reassuring to know that we've got capable fire departments as neighbors that we can call at any time when we've got a major fire like this,” says Toews. 

The fire chief is also thankful that the wind worked in their favour today as firefighters worked hard to protect the surrounding buildings. 

With Steinbach Hatchery and Animal Feed right across the street, there were serious concerns about the fire spreading in that direction and causing a much greater blaze. 

“But the wind was in our favour there,” he says. “As far as the other side, we've got Main Bread and Butter, Evangeline’s Florist, we've got crews on the roof with charge hose lines, protecting them from embers flying and igniting, but that danger has pretty well passed at this stage of the fire.” 

As for the animals inside Best West Pet Food store, Toews reports they were able to rescue some of them, but not all the animals could be saved.