Controlling the fire took about 2½ hours and used nearly 1.2 million litres of water, the fire department said. More than 30 firefighters and 13 apparatus were on the scene.
A popular brewery was severely damaged by a major fire early Sunday.
Ol’ Beautiful, a beloved brewery in southeast Calgary, says its taproom will be closed for the foreseeable future — though it will continue producing beer at its off-site production facility.
Calgary Fire Department were called to the area around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning for reports of a fire in the community of Ramsay.
Firefighters arrived to smoke and flames visible from outside the brewery and immediately attacked the flames from outside the building, the fire department said in a statement issued Sunday. Upon forcing entry into the building, they were met with a fully involved fire inside the taproom and found flames had spread to the roof area, which had partly collapsed.
Firefighters then set up large flow streams to contain the fire from spreading to nearby buildings, using hose lines, aerial master streams and truck-mounted nozzles. Downed power lines nearby required the firefighters to cautiously work around the infrastructure until Enmax shut down power. ATCO Gas also helped with utility shutdowns, CFD wrote in a release.
Controlling the fire took about 2½ hours and used nearly 1.2 million litres of water. More than 30 firefighters and 13 apparatus were on the scene.
There were no known occupants in the building at the time of the fire, CFD said, despite firefighters being unable to enter the building.
CFD has closed road access to 12 Street S.E. and remains obstructed as investigators work at the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire. CFD said traffic in the area will be impacted throughout the day.
In a post to Instagram, Ol’ Beautiful wrote that no staff or guests were in the building when the fire broke out. Occupants at a neighbouring taproom, Cold Garden, also safely evacuated.
The brewer said it will be closed for the foreseeable future.
“We want to extend sincere gratitude to our community for the continued support as we navigate next steps following this devastating loss,” it wrote on social media.
Files from Jim Wells