St. Jean Baptiste grain elevator destroyed by fire was 'part of our history': reeve

The owner of a historic grain elevator in the small southern Manitoba community of St.Jean Baptiste says his company has suffered a huge loss after the building went up in flames early Saturday morning.

"I'm still a little bit shocked," said Nathan Sabourin of NuVision Commodities, who owns the nearly 75-year-old building in the community, about 70 kilometres south of Winnipeg."I was very proud to have the company in the town here."

Eugene Fillion, the chief of St.Jean Baptiste's volunteer fire department,got the call about the blaze at about 3 a.m. Eight fire departments from surrounding areas and about 80 to 100 firefighters responded, he said.

Just before 10 a.m.,Fillion said the building was still smoldering.

"Everything else other than siding got hot and melted," he told CBC.

Fillion said residents had to be evacuated from six to 10 nearby homes, as well as a nearby seniors' manor, which houses about 60 people. While the people who live in the manor have since returned home, four to five people from two homes remain evacuated.

The facility, which employs 13 people, was used to store and move feed grain, Sabourin said. It was full when the fire caught.

"I feel awful for the community," he said, but he's thankful no one got hurt.

St. Jean Baptiste residentJoanne Pictonsaid she could feel the heat of the flames from outside her home,about a three-minute walk from the elevator.

"It was very stressful," Picton said. "The flames were just crazy high and hot."

While she didn't have to evacuate her home,Picton said the fire department told herto be prepared to leave.

"We were on high alert," she added. "It was just crazy, absolutely crazy."

Facility built in 1949

Sabourin said the elevator was built in 1949. He took ownership in 2008, after his father bought it five years prior.

The reeve of the rural municipality of Montcalm, where St. Jean Baptiste is located, says historic grain elevators like Sabourin's are part of a "dying breed" in small Manitobacommunities.

"It's part of our history," said Paul Gilmore. "It's been there for a long time."

Sabourin said the building had been in good shape.

"We used it a lot and it's amazing," he said, adding that while the elevator is completely destroyed, he's not sure whether the three steel bins next to the building will survive.

Fillion said he expects crews to be at the scene all day Saturday and possibly into Sunday to put the fire out and clean up what's left of the facility.

The cause of the fire is not known.