CORNWALL, Ont. - A firefighter remained in good condition in hospital Sunday with heat exhaustion after a blaze ripped through a historic building on Cornwall's waterfront.


Flames that erupted around 6 p.m. Sunday at the abandoned Canada Cotton Mills building could be seen from five kilometres away.

Residents were told to stay in their homes as strong winds from the west blew thick smoke eastward.

Firefighters doused some houses with water to prevent flying embers from setting the homes ablaze.

The Cotton Mills building, which was recently condemned due to structural damage and was to be torn down Nov. 1, was linked by two walkways to the Weave Shed building.

Firefighters knocked down the walkways to stop flames from spreading to the Weave Shed, which contains Source Wood Products, which was full of lumber.

There was some smoke and water damage to the Weave Shed, which also contains two Corus Entertainment radio stations and the Community Care Access Centre.

The fire was finally put out but some smoke was still coming from the scene 12 hours after the blaze began.

There were no hazardous or chemical materials stored in the Cotton Mills building. Work crews had already removed everything from inside the structure.

The Fire Marshal's Office was called in to investigate the cause of the blaze. (CJSS,CJUL)

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