Fire destroys Niagara Falls stores

(Update)

if you tuned in to CHCH Morning Live Wednesday, you saw firefighters battling a massive blaze on Clifton Hill in the heart of Niagara’s tourist district. More than half a day later, they were still at it.

Firefighers arrived on scene just after midnight as flames were shooting through the roof of this building on Victoria Avenue in Niagara Falls. It housed four shops including a tatoo parlour and hip hop clothing store.

Battling the fire was one challenge for firefighters. So were the biting winds and sub zero temperatures. It was one of the coldest nights of the year.

Brian Dickson is with the Niagara Falls Fire Department: “The gear is designed to keep them warm to a degree but in this type of weather, it’s not keeping anyone warm that’s for sure.”

Just look at the area around the charred building. Icicles are everywhere. It looked like a scene out of a Hollywood movie. The firefighters could safely stay out here only a few minutes at a time.

Dickson says: “We’re trying to put them into rehab every 20-30 minutes depending on their operations. If they’re in the water, lots of water around and their feet are getting cold, we’ve got to do it faster.”

And then there was dangerous build up of ice on the roads. It was so cold, the water froze as soon as it hit the ground.

You see the firefighter holding the hose and pouring water on the still burning rubble while sitting on the ground. He cannot stand up and maintain stability on this roadway. When the road is an ice rink, there’s no way he can hold onto the nozzle and keep his footing at the same time.

They’ve been pouring water on it for nearly 18 hours now. Excavators brought the charred shell down. Victoria Avenue between Ferry Street and Clifton Hill will remain closed overnight. Investigators believe they know the cause. Meanwhile, 20 firefighters were still onscene putting out hot spots. Estimated damage is more than half a million dollars.