Botwood fire burns warehouse to the ground overnight

A fire that began overnight in Botwoodhasburneda large warehouse in the centre of townto the ground, with dozens of firefighters working throughout the night to battle the blaze.

"It's a total loss," said Fire Chief ShawnDalley, of the building on Water St., which stored building materials for a nearby business.

Crews were called to the scene around 12:15 a.m.

"It was a big fire. It became fully involved around 1 a.m.And given the sheer size of the structure, and the winds,and the weather conditions with the winds of course, that made it hard to battle," saidDalley.

Dalleysaid two neighbouring fire departments also responded, with a total of five pumper trucks and forty-five people working to fight the fire.

Firefighters were still extinguishing hot spots mid-morningFriday.

"Everybody is fine, a little bit tired. But no injuries," saidDalley.

Dalleycouldn't speculate as to the cause of the fire, or if it was suspicious in nature.

The RCMPin Grand Falls-Windsor said officers were on scene, and they will be investigating.

Nearby Memorial Academy was closed for the morning as a precaution.