Fire breaks out in Western Block building in downtown Calgary, closes part of 1 Street

Calgary firefighters worked to douse flames affecting a residential floor of a building and parking lot in downtown Calgary on Saturday.

Fire crews arrived at the Western Block on 10 Avenue and 1 Street after they received multiple calls for fires at around 12:50 p.m.

Battalion Chief Scott Cowan tells CityNews fire crews arrived on the scene right away, noticed “heavy smoke,” and initiated a fire attack.

Firefighters were seen on top of the building, with some by the last four windows.

Cowan says they went into the building to evacuate those on the residential floor, but nobody was inside. No injuries have been reported.

A courtyard parking lot, which is accessible from the alleyway, saw fire damage to vehicles, with one in particular taking serious damage, and others experiencing minor damage.

The cause is unknown at this time, with Cowan noting it’s difficult to tell if the fire originated in the building or in the courtyard.

Meanwhile, a section of 1 Street between 11 and 10 avenues will be closed for “quite some time” while firefighters attend to the scene and investigate.

The building houses a few businesses on the main floor, including Cafe Med, D.O.P., and The Backlot.

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