Work continues to determine cause of downtown Brandon fires

Brandon, MB – Work continues by the City of Brandon’s Emergency Response Team and the various agencies and organizations involved in the response to structure fires in downtown Brandon that destroyed three commercial buildings and left a multi-floor residential complex heavily damaged this past Victoria Day long weekend.

Brandon Fire and Emergency Services personnel remain on scene at fire locations along Pacific Avenue (Christie’s Office Plus and the strip mall housing Collyer’s Sales and Service/Brandon Boxing Club/Kazic Kontracting) today, monitoring the occasional hotspot and dousing with water where needed. Pacific Avenue between 5th Street and 7th Street in the immediate vicinity of the above locations remains barricaded to traffic, and the City of Brandon asks all members of the public to avoid Pacific Avenue until crews have completely left the area. For the public’s safety, fencing has been erected around Massey Manor, with further inspections still needed to determine occupant re-entry. It is anticipated that once fire crews have cleared the Christie’s Office Plus and strip mall locations, fencing will go up to secure that area along Pacific Avenue, in addition to that of the impacted Knights Inn Cold Beer Store and vacant nightclub at the corner of 5th Street and Rosser Avenue.

Multiple agencies are currently working to inspect the fire scenes and to determine the cause of the fires. Brandon Fire & Emergency Services would like to reiterate that its response to a vehicle fire in the area of 10th Street and Pacific Avenue on Sunday afternoon while fighting the downtown structure fires was unrelated and is believed to have been caused by mechanical issues. Brandon Fire & Emergency Services can confirm that a fire reignited within the impacted vehicle as it sat in a towing company compound in the City’s East End later that evening, which was attended to by Brandon Fire & Emergency Services members and extinguished. No fatalities or injuries have been reported relating to these fires or the response to these fires.

The City of Brandon continues to manage the hotel accommodation and meals this week for approximately 150 individuals displaced by the fire. Discussions between the City of Brandon, the Province of Manitoba, and the agencies involved in the management of Massey Manor’s suites are continuing this week to determine long-term accommodations plans and the funding for such. The City of Brandon would again like to take this opportunity to thank all of the organizations and community members that assisted with the various aspects of the evacuation response to date.