FIRE ERUPTS in Cornwall Ontario Cotton Mills area – Sunday October 10 – 12:27 AM October 11 – will update

Cornwall ON – As you can see from the photo there’s a big fire going on in Cornwall Ontario tonight.   We’re on LIVE on Seawayradio.com.  You can call in toll free 877.640.1175 if you’re at the scene or please email any info or photos to info@cornwallfreenews.com and we’ll keep updating you from Studio A.

No injuries have been reported so far.

UPDATE 8:36 PM  Jason McNamara, Cornwall’s hottest photographer made it to the site and pinged this in.

The Fire is spreading so please use EXTREME Caution and let the Fire Department do their thing!

From Heather David:

More updates to come.

From Robert Sel at 9:19

From Renee

Corus is reporting on their website that they can’t access their station.  We’re not sure if the evac order was given or not and they are operating via satellite.

Video

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgYPQIyyo7Y

More from Robert Sel

Richard Komorowski just reported to us that some residents are hosing down their houses.  More pics and info to come in.   We’re also received unconfirmed reports that the fire may have started in Source Wood Products, but we have no confirmation yet.

these two shots were from Missy Beauvais

From Richard Komorowski again

I don’t think I got any good shots, but there was a volcano of cinders and ash flying from the building and landing in the area south of Montreal Rd., between McConnell and Alice. This is where the residents were out in force with garden hoses.
From Ashley March
from Stephen Herrington
From John VanOverbeek
UPDATE AT 10:57

Firefighters are now evacuating nearby homes.
From Dianne P
UPDATE 11:50 PM
“The burnt debris(embers) were incredible earlier this evening. We are in the Alice/Park area and we hosed down our house. The first picture is a chunk that had fallen, that is a man’s size 12 shoe beside it. And the next picture is how far away from the house it was, maybe 6 feet. Louisa has more burnt debris. These pieces were falling still red and on fire.”
Cotton Mills before fire
The city put out the following:

A large spectacular fire erupted early Sunday evening in the historic Cotton Mill district of Cornwall’s waterfront.

As of 11:00pm, Cornwall Fire Services personnel have contained the fire to the abandoned four story building at the west end of the Cotton Mill area.

Fire crews are concentrating on ensuring that the nearby Weave Shed (east end of the area) is not affected. It is expected that parts of the affected building will burn for some time. The Ontario Fire Marshall’s office has been contacted.

The Cornwall Community Police Department has established a perimeter around the site in question for safety reasons (parts of the building are unstable and could collapse at any time) and to allow fire crews to complete their work.

The perimeter is as follows:

Marlborough/William St.

Lennox/Albert St.

Lennox/Arthur St.

Lennox/Edward St.

McConnell/ Prince Albert St.

The City of Cornwall’s Municipal Works Department is erecting barricades where possible.

Additional information will be available Monday.

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Mark McDonald Kilger for Mayor Schnitzels

56 Comments

  1. admin
    why would you compare our crime rate to big cities. Most local kids have everything and are lazy

  2. I agree with “Cathy B.” who wrote how much of a shame it is to see such history go up in flames. I loved that building, I love old historic buildings, I used to walk along the water, then around the building just to admire it, it’s an awful shame, beautiful building full of history.

  3. I wouldn’t be here if it wasen’t for the mill!
    My grandmother and grandfather met there.
    I’m sure my grandfather could tell you good things the cotton mill had to offer.
    😉

  4. I’m pretty sure that mill was the location of the first electric lighting in Canada. Such a shame to see history burn like that…

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