Fire destroys Dairy Queen in north Calgary

A Dairy Queen in north Calgary was engulfed in flames Tuesday evening.

Battalion Chief Bruce Barrssaid the 911 call first came in at around 5:30 p.m.

Firefighters were still on scene at the ice cream chain at 1906 Centre Street N.E. late into the evening, working to extinguish the blaze.

"Crews were faced with visible smoke and flame," Barrs said, adding that it was later upgraded to a two-alarm fire.

Barrs said the building was empty when crews arrived and there were no injuries reported.

He said investigators are on scene waiting to begin their investigationinto the cause of the fire as soon as flames are extinguished.

The building was severely damaged.

Police, ATCO and Enmax were also on scene.

Yang Xiewas driving on Centre Street when he saw the road was blocked by firetrucks.

He said he used to liveacross the street from the restaurant.

"You can probably see the smoke from at least eight blocks away," he said. "It's unfortunate to the owner. It's just sad for the area."

Centre Street N.E.between 19thAvenue and 17thAvenue remained closed as of 10 p.m.