Updated story published at 2:00 PM... 

The fire which claimed a concrete plant in Roseau River this morning has been extinguished.

Emerson-Franklin Firefighters attended the fire located at Reimer Concrete and Building Supplies at around 6:00 AM along with crews from Altona, Vita, and St. Malo and were able to finally leave the scene just before 11:00 AM

Municipal Fire Co-Chief Barry Gushuliak says the Office of the Fire Commissioner did not investigate because the damage to the facility was too great.

In the stead of an official OFC report, Gushuliak takes his best guess at what happened.

“We can only assume the fire started in the northeast corner because of the extent of the damage in the area. It was an older part of the building that part looks like it is more destroyed than the other parts.”

Still, Gushuliak stresses, that his hypothesis is rough at best. While the exact cause of the fire remains a mystery, the RCMP have ruled out suspicious activity.

Gushuliak says the building is a total loss and he estimates that the property damaged by the fire is worth several million dollars.

Reimer Concrete and Building Supplies was hit by a fire early Thursday morning.

Original story published at 10:00 AM...

Firefighters continue to battle a blaze that tore through a concrete plant in Roseau River early this morning, 65 kilometres southwest of Steinbach.

Matthew Reimer, the owner of Reimer Concrete and Building Supplies, says it was around 5:45 AM when he first heard that his business was on fire.

“I got a call this morning from the neighbor of the property here who said ‘Matthew your shop is burning!’ So we came down as quickly as possible and got here just before the fire department did.”

Emerson-Franklin Fire Co-Chief Jeff French says his crew arrived on scene around 6:00 AM to find the building fully engulfed in flames. They immediately called on the St. Malo and Vita Fire Departments as well as the Altona water tanker for assistance.

“We have to bring our own water supplies to fires like these,” notes French who says that always makes the fight more challenging.

Though the fire is now under control, French expects the Emerson-Franklin team will stay on scene for the better part of the day extinguishing hot spots.

Meanwhile, Reimer, standing adjacent to his decimated building, says it is difficult to be hopeful.

“It looks like a complete loss,” he states, “the shop is completely burnt down and I’m nervous about how our insurance policy will stand up.”

During this dark time, Reimer asks his friends, family, and acquaintances for one simple thing. “You can remember us in your prayers,” he says, “you can drop by, you can give us a phone call, but mostly just remember us in your prayers.”

The cause of this fire remains under investigation.