“No work, no pay for us” – Winnipeg Free Press

Yellow caution tape bars entry to Claire Andrada-Lorente's business. The ribbon runs in both directions past Bluebell Health and spans the entire length of the mall.

There are security guards nearby. Bewildered customers wandered into the Tyndall Park neighborhood, slowly making their way through darkened store windows and “closed” signs. Then they leave.

“I was devastated,” Andrada-Llorente said Tuesday.

A business owner at the shopping center at 1030 Keewatin St. called him Monday morning to report a fire in the building.

The blaze was mainly at Gill's supermarket, one of the strip's central tenants. That forced Winnipeg first responders to shut down Keewatin Street in the morning.

Andrada-Llorente rushed to work, but could not enter until Monday due to the blockade.

“When I opened the back door, I could smell smoke,” he recalled. He didn't go inside.

The fire engulfed the entire shopping center.

Fast food chains, ethnic restaurants, hair salons, medical clinics, pharmacies, Autopac outlets and clothing retailers are all closed – at least in their physical stores. Those who can switch to virtual offers.

On Tuesday, Andrada-Llorente considered returning to Bluebell to inspect the damage. He is among the workers at the mall who don't know when or what to do to get back to normal work.

She is canceling massage clinic appointments “every day”.

“Massage therapists, we depend only on clients. There is no work, no salary for us.”– Claire Andrada-Lorente

“Massage therapists, we just depend on the clients,” Andrada-Llorente said. “No work, no pay for us.”

A 13-person team from Bluebell Health has been booked through March, Andrada-Laurente said, adding that she hopes the fire investigation will be completed quickly.

The investigation was continuing as of Tuesday afternoon, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Public Information Officer Erin Madden wrote in a statement.

Damage to the building was “significant,” Madden noted.

“While the fire was primarily contained to the subdivision containing Gill's Supermarket, adjacent subdivisions were affected by smoke and water,” he wrote, adding that WFPS did not estimate monetary damages.

Andaaz Creation has booked one side of the mall. Owner Tejinder Bhider walked into the clothing store on Monday but was unable to properly assess its stock of fabrics and dresses.

“The room was full of smoke and bad smell,” he said.

He was worried that products damaged by smoke would not sell. A family with insurance may have to start from scratch to fill their store.

“I don't know what to say. No question,” said Bhinder. “Even in your dreams (do you) think this could happen… It's so painful.

“My heart goes out to everyone at the strip mall.”

The phone line at RKM Walk-In Clinic & Medical Center was back up after the fire around noon Tuesday, receptionist Monica Bedard said.

“I think patients must have called our clinic to make an appointment or to come in for an appointment. Obviously, we couldn't answer those calls.”– Monica Bedard

“(Monday), I think patients must have called our clinic to make an appointment or come in for an appointment,” he said. “Of course we couldn't answer those calls.”

The past two days have been “very chaotic” – doctors' offices are seeing as many patients as possible over the phone and putting off people who need in-person treatment.

“It's hard to tell patients that we don't know when we'll be back in the clinic,” Bedard said. He expects updates to come through the property manager the tenants contact.

Then there's the insurance process and repairs, Bedard said. The ceiling tiles fell in the clinic. The office was water damaged, the back door was broken.

After the fire, the mall lost power; Vaccines in the clinic's refrigerator may have expired, Bedard said.

However, “People really understood,” he said of the patients, and the word seemed to spread quickly in the community.

The Free press Representatives from Gill's Supermarket or the owner of the property could not be reached by press time.

Emergency crews first arrived at the strip mall around 4:43 a.m. Monday. They used aerial ladders and drones to put out the fire.

Private security personnel now monitor the site and ensure that unauthorized persons do not pass through the security tape. (This is now useful for protecting broken doors, Bedard notes.)

Winnipeg fire crews also responded to two vacant two-story house fires Monday morning. Officials say the buildings could collapse.

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