Cause under investigation after fire rips through vacant south London building
London firefighters are investigating the cause of a massive blaze in a vacant factory building at 10 Centre St., just off of Wharncliffe Road South.
It was eventually brought under control late Tuesday night.
The smoke was so thick and heavy that the city sent has sent out a warning to anyone within one kilometre of the site to keep their doors and windows shut.
“You’ll notice that the smoke is yellow, brown, black, all different colours, so there’s a lot of different things that are burning inside the building,” said Platoon Chief Gary Mosburger. “That kind of smoke produces heavy levels of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, cyanide, things that people should not be breathing in. So we’ve asked people to protect in place, shut off their hvac systems, close their windows, and stay indoors.”
Crews were called to the fire just over the supper hour Tuesday. It roared through the evening with crews working in shifts to knock it down.
“We’re in a defensive strategy fighting the fire from the exterior,” said Mosburger. “The fire itself, it’s just way too dangerous to send firefighters in the interior to a building that we already are aware of that was vacant.”
No one was injured.
Neighbour Warren Martin tells CTV News London individuals are often spotted coming in and out of the building. “Abandoned building and usually there’s a lot of homeless people that live in there. Old mattresses and stuff dragged in and all that.”
The vacant building has been on the city’s radar for some time. Earlier this year it appeared on a list of sites recommended for demolition by city staff.
“Well sometimes you think a lot of these things should be torn down and not just left if it’s a fire trap,” said neigbour Dave Robinson as he watched firefighers work to keep the fire under control.
It had originally been home to Hubson Transport in the 70s but more recently housed a moving company, karate school and renovation company.
The shell of the building was torn down Wednesday, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
- With files from CTV News London's Nick Paparella
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.