Fire consumes downtown Fredericton
The aftermath of a fire that demolished Isaac's Way (Whitney Neilson/AQ)
A large piece of Fredericton’s downtown was on fire last night.
Early Sunday morning a fire broke out, consuming buildings and businesses on the corner of Queen Street and Carleton Street.
As of 7:30 this morning, the fire is reportedly under control. Isaac’s Way has burned down and multiple buildings have been affected by the fire. No serious injuries have been reported. Fire crews were still pouring water on the charred remains at 1 p.m. By 1:30 p.m. Carleton Street was open to traffic again.
Flames stretching higher than the city’s tallest building claimed a number of shops and apartments, including the popular Isaac’s Way restaurant at 73 Carleton Street, and a 24-unit rooming house attached. CTV reported 26 people are homeless from the fire and staying at hotels or with family and friends.
It’s still uncertain how the fire started.
Firefighters first responded around 1 a.m. Sunday morning. While crews continued to contain the damage, the restaurant and adjoined apartment building are completely lost.
Other shops and businesses along Queen Street have suffered smoke damage but are no longer at risk of fire damage.
Debris was a concern. Fiery chunks made their way across the street to the neighboring Royal Bank of Canada.
The centuries old Wilmot United Church on the corner of King and Carleton was also a major concern for firefighters, but was undamaged. They firmly positioned themselves between it and the burning restaurant to prevent damage to the historic building.
With files from Liam McGuire and Whitney Neilson
Fire this morning in downtown Fredericton (Justin Brown/Submitted)
Loading ...
Thank God we all got out ALIVE even 2 cats and a dog
sad
Good work on the Firemen's part to save Wilmot United Church; a piece of history, and to prevent any serious injuries to anyone. It was a good job done well.
my cousin lives in queen st. im english
glad everyones ok im from england but my cousins live in queen st.
That Millie deserves a medal for getting all those 26 people out of those rooms. She is a brave lady. xoxo
Prayers to all the people in Fredericton today, there will be many affected by this disaster….. keep the city of Fredericton in your thoughts and concerns………
This is one disaster we cant be thankful for on this special weekend. Our sympathy to the owners and operators and thanks to the Fredericton Fire Fighters who prevented it from being much worse than it was.