Deputy Fire Chief Jesse Oshell believes fire originated from combustible material left behind by a former movie production.
The Greater Sudbury Police Service's Major Crimes section is investigating what has been deemed a suspicious fire in the abandoned hospital on Paris Street last night.
GSPS said in a news release this morning that people were reported to have run from the building before the fire.
"Additional information provided was that multiple individuals were seen running from the building towards Bell Park shortly before smoke was seen coming from the building," GSPS said.
GSPS Major Crimes is investigating in conjunction with the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office.
Deputy Fire Chief Jesse Oshell said the fire was called in at around 10 p.m. May 21 by passersby who saw smoke coming from the building.
The blaze, which was on the second floor of the building, was extinguished by around 1:30 a.m., although fire crews remained on scene until around 3 a.m.
“It was a significant fire that burned hot and spread throughout that second floor area, and with the exposed metal in the metal trusses and beams, those took a significant amount of heat,” Oshell said.
“I don't know what the overall damage is, because there's nothing else inside other than concrete, right? So that's why we need to work with and share information with the experts in our building services department, and they're the experts to take the next steps.”
Greater Sudbury Police closed Paris Street for a time overnight as crews worked to extinguish the fire, although one lane was kept open for emergency vehicles heading to Health Sciences North.
He said he believes the fire originated from combustible material left behind by a former movie production.
“Obviously the building is an abandoned building and closed, and that material has been there for some time, so certainly we feel that that is suspicious,” Oshell said.
This isn’t the first incident at the former hospital this month, as earlier in May, a 24-year-old man was found dead in the building.
Greater Sudbury Police have been notified, and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office may also be contacted.
Oshell said there were no injuries, and no one was found inside of the building.
But he said there is concern for people who are accessing the former hospital building “legal or otherwise,” as “there’s a lot of hazards in there,” which are now only increased, as there’s been a significant fire.
“There's going to be a question of structural concerns, because there's a lot of exposed metal in the floors above and below,” Oshell said.
These structural concerns will be addressed, he said, with the City of Greater Sudbury and the property’s owner, Panoramic Properties, which has owned the building since 2010, when it ceased to be an operating hospital.
“The obvious message here is that’s private property,” Oshell said. “It's fenced off for the safety of residents and citizens, and only authorized individuals should be entering that space.
“So absolutely, the safety message is that's a tremendous hazard. There's many unknowns inside that building. It’s a construction space, a working space. If it's blocked off, it's absolutely for a reason, and for the safety of all.”