Firefighters battle early morning blaze at former high school near Crystal Beach

The Fort Erie Fire Department has been battling a blaze at a decommissioned school near Crystal Beach since early Monday morning.

Fire crews say they responded to reports of a fire at around 1 a.m. to the former Ridgeway Crystal Beach High School.

The Fort Erie Fire Chief Mark Schmitt said to CHCH News that crews found a significant fire at the back of the building, that was spreading quickly.

The chief says given the unknown structural conditions associated with the ongoing demolition of the school, operations are being conducted in “defensive mode.”

Schmitt said crews are utilizing elevated master streams to contain and control the fire while maintaining firefighter safety, with no injuries to report at this time.

“We still have some hotspots smoldering in between void spaces, probably caused by the collapse,” said Schmitt. “We do have an excavator on site that’s starting to pull part of the building apart so we can get to those hotspots.”

He says he is waiting for a phone call from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office to determine whether they will attend the fire Monday.

The school was being demolished to make room for 113 new homes.

The incident is expected to remain active for an extended period and crews will continue monitoring operations throughout Monday.

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