Brantford firefighters remained on the scene a Tuesday fire that destroyed the western portion of Mohawk Plaza on Colborne Street in Brantford.
At 9 a.m. Wednesday smoke could still be seen drifting skyward from a few spots of the fire-ravaged structure.
“With the roof collapse it traps areas making it difficult to fully extinguish,” noted Deputy Fire Chief Dwayne Armstrong.
Incident commander Capt. Chris Hesmer added that some of the walls still standing – in particular the far western wall adjacent to Pauline Johnson Collegiate – need to be brought down due to structural issues and proximity to high school students.
Heavy equipment will be brought in to take down the walls and remove debris so that any remaining hot spots can be extinguished before an investigation into the cause of the fire can begin.
Armstrong said the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal will not be sending an investigator but will liaise with fire prevention officers from Brantford Fire who will conduct the investigation.
Part of that investigation will determine how much smoke and water damage may have been sustained by businesses in the plaza that include Brantford Surplus, a nail salon, and a barber shop.
Brantford firefighters were dispatched to the scene at about 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday and discovered smoke and flames near the vacant Mohawk Bowl upon arrival, and battled flames throughout most of the morning.
Brantford Police will be part of the investigation into the cause of the fire and confirmed they have had complaints about people around the vacant building.
Brantford Surplus posted on their Facebook page that they will remain closed during the investigation and clean up as there is no power in the store and air quality needs to be assessed.
Mohawk Plaza remains closed to public access.
The loss of the Army Navy Air Force Club has hit hard for some locals as it’s been the site of hundreds of concerts and celebrations for decades.
“Seeing this memory go up in flames is breaking my heart,” said one poster.