Fire at St Catharines plant

There’s been a huge fire at a wood working plant in St. Catharines that was tied to a major cocaine bust earlier this year.

The fire started just after 12:30am at “Artwood Flooring” on Eastchester Avenue.

Angelo Alessio is the president of the company.

He and his brother Frank were arrested in February in a drug smuggling investigation.

It’s believed the fire started in a vehicle parked inside the building.

Crews had to fight the fire from the outside, because the heat was so intense, and there were fears the roof would collapse.

The cause is being investigated by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office.