Downtown Sault fire investigation continues
Traffic is again flowing along Queen Street East in downtown Sault Ste. Marie as investigators continue to look for the cause of Wednesday’s fire that closed the road most of the day.
The fire broke out around 8:30 a.m. at 647 Queen St. East. The structure was said to be unoccupied at the time and Sault Fire Services said no one was hurt.
A section of Queen Street was closed and at least one area business was advised to close for the day due to fear the structure could collapse.
Sault Fire Chief Peter Johnson said that risk is no longer present.
“We took protective measures yesterday to ensure the scene was safe,” Johnson said.
“There was some work that had to be done later in the day to do that. But once Queen Street was open, the barricades were up so people can still get by. Not worried about collapse at all.”
As far as the investigation goes, Johnson said there is no update and there’s been no word on whether investigators are treating the fire as suspicious.
Frank Bentrovato, the city’s coordinator of building inspections and bylaw enforcement, said once the fire department releases the scene, the city will investigate and issue an unsafe order on the property if needed.
That order, if issued, would require the owner to repair or demolish the building.
If the owner fails to comply with the order, Bentrovato said further action would be taken by the city. But he said the owner of the property has been cooperating with the city.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Donald Trump picks former U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has nominated former diplomat and U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra to be the American ambassador to Canada.
Genetic evidence backs up COVID-19 origin theory that pandemic started in seafood market
A group of researchers say they have more evidence to suggest the COVID-19 pandemic started in a Chinese seafood market where it spread from infected animals to humans. The evidence is laid out in a recent study published in Cell, a scientific journal, nearly five years after the first known COVID-19 outbreak.
This is how much money you need to make to buy a house in Canada's largest cities
The average salary needed to buy a home keeps inching down in cities across Canada, according to the latest data.
Canada's space agency invites you to choose the name of its first lunar rover
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is inviting Canadians to choose the name of the first Canadian Lunar Rover.
'My two daughters were sleeping': London Ont. family in shock after their home riddled with gunfire
A London father and son they’re shocked and confused after their home was riddled with bullets while young children were sleeping inside.
Smuggler arrested with 300 tarantulas strapped to his body
Police in Peru have arrested a man caught trying to leave the country with 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants strapped to his body.
Boissonnault out of cabinet to 'focus on clearing the allegations,' Trudeau announces
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced embattled minister Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet.
Baby dies after being reported missing in midtown Toronto: police
A four-month-old baby is dead after what Toronto police are calling a “suspicious incident” at a Toronto Community Housing building in the city’s midtown area on Wednesday afternoon.
Sask. woman who refused to provide breath sample did not break the law, court finds
A Saskatchewan woman who refused to provide a breath sample after being stopped by police in Regina did not break the law – as the officer's request was deemed not lawful given the circumstances.