Grain elevator burns in St. Jean Baptiste
CTV
Residents near St. Jean Baptiste woke up to a dark column of smoke rising up into the fall sky Saturday morning.
Residents near St. Jean Baptiste woke up to a dark column of smoke rising up into the fall sky Saturday morning.
An old grain elevator on Caron Street has burned down in the small southern Manitoba community. Emailers to CTV News have sent in photos and video of a completely destroyed structure.
One nearby resident said they were woken up by a fire alert at 4 a.m., and that people who live closer to the fire were evacuated.
Video posted to Facebook around 6 a.m. Saturday show volunteer firefighters tackling a well-involved blaze. The building looks to be a complete loss.
Eugene Fillion, chief of the town’s volunteer fire department has been on the ground since Saturday.
“My fire department came on scene with four members and they knew they couldn’t fight this fire,” he said, adding that the number quickly jumped to between 60 and 70 crew members from six neighbouring fire departments.
“I’ve been here for 38 years born and raised and this might be one of my biggest (fires). But the best part of it: nobody got hurt.”
