St. Boniface blaze feeding off warehouse full of fuel. (Winnipeg)

St. Boniface blaze feeding off warehouse full of fuel. (Winnipeg)

www.globalwinnipeg.com

Explosions rocked St. Boniface late this afternoon after a fire broke out at Speedway International around 5 p.m.Giant fireballs and a large plume of smoke could be seen from several kilometres away.

Both CN and CP rail have been alerted to the massive blaze. Fire crews are currently dousing rail cars next to Speedway International as a preventative measure. At one point they were able to get within 150 metres of the blaze but have since been moved back to about 600 metres

(visit the link for the full news article)

And still NOT under control.

Related News Links:
www.globalwinnipeg.com
news.national post.com

The location of the explosion was Speedway International. According to the article Speedway International stores "170,000 litres of methanol, 400,000 litres of racing gas, and 300,000 litres of biodiesel." I will post a video from the source below.

Honestly, I cannot imagine what people around the area must have been feeling. As I watched the explosion, it almost looked like a mushroom cloud to me, I nearly fainted. I don't live in Winnipeg, I live in Alberta, but seeing that this happened makes me consider how serious it would be if there was a massive explosion near Edmonton, Alberta; where I live. After all, this is the Oil Capital of Canada.

You can also follow the events in the live blog (Twitter Feed) which has recently stated that the fire has been brought closer to being under control. As well as No injuries reported, and area evacuated.




www.globalwinnipeg.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

On CBC News, right now, while speaking to a Witness it sounds like they are going to expand the area of Evacuation. The Witness lives a mile away and his wife says they have blocked off roads about half a mile from them. Apparently there is some serious CONCERN over 2 canisters kept on site that could potentially blow. I really hope this doesn't happen. (@ 8:45 PM MT)


(@ 9:25 PM MT) Twitter Post by Winnipeg EEP says that "Residents who have evacuated are advised to seek shelter with friends/family or on City buses located on Marion"

Thank you for giving me a scare. Almost all of my relatives live in the Peg, and I know that area fairly well.

I wonder if they'll have to scrub down Golden Boy.

Now I'd better make a call or two, and thank God that the damage seems to be limited.

reply to post by charles1952


Sorry about scaring you, hope everyone is well. So far their haven't been reported injuries. If you look at the National post link, the first picture on there has a shot from far away. Still, what a blaze.

I live about an hour north of the city and after seeing this on the local news, I stepped outside to find that I could see the big black cloud from here.

Pretty amazing video. I guess things could of been much worse.

Originally posted by ShadowLink
Pretty amazing video. I guess things could of been much worse.

I hope it doesn't get worse, but it is not over yet. CBC News National is now reporting. Fire crews moved back and there is still are some seriously dangerous tanks there. Keeping fingers crossed.

Thanks for the heads up!

Didn't see or hear anything on my ride home nearby this accident strangely enough. This is the first i've heard of this.

Originally posted by nightbringr
Thanks for the heads up!

Didn't see or hear anything on my ride home nearby this accident strangely enough. This is the first i've heard of this.

I am surprised you couldn't see the fire. I know it is coming further under control (thus far) but firefighters have yet to be able to enter the building and fight the source fire directly. Is it smokey out, I wouldn't want to be breathing in those chemicals.

reply to post by TheSparrowSings


I think the main reason they are keeping their distance is cause of the potential for more explosions. Toxic smoke is probably secondary.


To nightbringr: You must of been driving away or something to not see the huge black cloud.

Originally posted by TheSparrowSings

Originally posted by nightbringr
Thanks for the heads up!

Didn't see or hear anything on my ride home nearby this accident strangely enough. This is the first i've heard of this.

I am surprised you couldn't see the fire. I know it is coming further under control (thus far) but firefighters have yet to be able to enter the building and fight the source fire directly. Is it smokey out, I wouldn't want to be breathing in those chemicals.

Actually, i'm only about a mile from the site, and would have been a little less at 5 when they said it first happened, i'm as surprised as anyone I didn't see the fireball. It would have been behind me when I was driving.

reply to post by nightbringr


Ahhh.
Would of been something to go and watch for a while before going home if you knew.

According to recent update on VLOG by Crystal Goomansingh (reporting close to the scene @ GlobalNational.com) The earlier explosion was the result of an onsite Fuel Truck catching fire. At this moment their are still major concerns about 2 tanks (one containing elthynol and the other bio-fuel) on a nearby rail-car. In her VLOG she goes on to quote the fire-chief in saying "There is still an extremely significant chance of explosion".




A little perspective on location of fire in regards to train tracks, although I assume the rail cars are stored not on the tracks themselves but closer to the fire (blue dot)

reply to post by nightbringr


You can still see the fire from the edge of the Evacuation zone about 800m away. Feel like getting some pictures? I am only joking, btw, stay back for now because the situation is still dicey.

My attempt at showing the rough estimate of Evacuation Zone (800 M)




New Update from GlobalNational @ 10:48 PM MT
Fire still burning but controlled. Area still closed to traffic. Rail cars no longer a concern.

For anyone still curious, the final statement this morning made by Global News on Twitter feeds says

A massive fire at a fuel warehouse in Winnipeg is out. Fire crews are still at the scene at Speedway International in St. Boniface. Platoon chief Ted Kuryluk says all that remains is the shell of a building and some trucks. He estimates damage as $15 million.

Fire crews spent most of Monday evening in defensive mode after the huge fire shot fireballs and thick, black smoke into the air. Hundreds of nearby residents were evacuated, but city officials gave the all-clear signal around 12:30 a.m. and people went home.There were no injuries.

Cause of the fire is under investigation. Thankful this is over.

And of course most importantly no one was hurt.

Quite remarkable when you consider how busy that area is during afternoon rush hour!