A fire on the sixth floor of an Exchange District building forced evacuations Friday.
Winnipeg’s Salvation Army headquarters on Henry Avenue caught fire at about 11:10 a.m., said a spokesperson for the city of Winnipeg.
“Upon arrival, crews found heavy smoke and a working fire. A second alarm was called, increasing the number of apparatus and WFPS crew members on the scene, due to the potential for high life hazards when dealing with an occupied residential building.”
A total of 23 trucks responded to the fire, said the city. Crews were able to contain the fire quickly, they added, and helped evacuate the building of 200 people.
Traffic was slowed as numerous fire trucks and police cars were called to the scene. The city says Henry Avenue and Martha Street will re-open to traffic later this afternoon, and people will be able to return to the building once they have completed ventilating it.
There was no immediate word on a cause or a damage estimate.
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