Massive Fire Destroys 'Endangered' WWII-Era Hangar in Edmonton

A huge fire destroyed Hangar 11, a hangar constructed during World War I1 on the site of the historic municipal airport in Edmonton, Canada, on the evening of Monday, April 22, local reports said.

Footage filmed by Kateryna Barnes from her back porch shows the blaze engulfing the building on Monday, with a plume of black smoke emerging from the scene.

“I received a text from a friend working in a downtown office tower who could see the fire and asked if it was close to me. I looked outside and Hangar 11 was completely engulfed,” Barnes told Storyful.

The hangar was built in collaboration with the US military in 1942 to deliver aircraft and other war materials to Allied forces on the eastern front during WW II. The building was listed as “endangered” by the National Trust of Canada as it was one of the last remaining hangar buildings from the era and under threat of redevelopment.

A private developer had intended to renovate the site into a mixed-use complex of restaurants, retail and residential spaces, according to the Edmonton Journal.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire was under investigation, according to news reports. Credit: Kateryna Barnes via Storyful

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