Regina firefighters battle two business fires in one day

It was an eventful weekend for Regina Fire.

Crews were busy early Saturday morning at a business fire on the 600 block of College Avenue at around 12:50 a.m.

The AnswerOne CPA Prof. Corp. building’s roof was engulfed in flames, making it difficult for crews to battle the blaze, according to Deputy Chief Dustin McCullough.

“We weren’t able to make entry on that one immediately, and so that’s what causes us to be on the scene longer,” he said.

“We had to fight the fire from the outside to make sure that our crews were safe.”

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Crews were on the scene of this fire for nearly 12 hours.

“They were working on extinguishing the fire hot spots, and just making sure that we could secure that scene and not have any risk to any residents or people in the area,” he said.

At 12:52am, RFPS responded to the 600 Blk. of College Ave. for a commercial building fire. Crews are currently in a defensive strategy attempting to extinguish the fire from outside the building. Residents are asked to avoid the area while crews are working. #yqr pic.twitter.com/KzHeZjKmrx

— Regina Fire (@Regina_Fire) March 15, 2025

McCullough said there is extensive smoke and fire damage throughout the building.

A neighbouring home, east of the business, did experience some problems with ice due to the cold temperatures.

“With the cold weather this morning, there was lots of ice and water that went on to that neighbouring house,” he said. “But when we left, as far as I know, there was no fire extension into that neighbouring property.”

Coachman Inn Motel fire

For Mihir Chaudhary, his day took an interesting turn when he smelled smoke nearby while at work.

Chaudhary is a cleaner at the Coachman Inn Motel on Victoria Avenue.

“I was working in the room next door, and then suddenly I saw the fumes coming out of the vent,” he said.

“I just rushed out of the room and then I saw that the fumes are coming from the next room.”

He acted fast and ran down quickly to the front desk to call 9-1-1.

Regina Fire said the second-floor suite was fully engulfed in flames, but it quickly put the fire out. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Chaudhary said the flames weren’t bad at first, but then they grew larger and dark black smoke filled the sky.

“The fumes were like crazy,” he said.

Chaudhary said he was at the right place at the right time to prevent further damage.

“I was supposed to be there, and then I saw that and reported it,” he said.

“That’s just what a guy should do when the situation is asked of you.”

McCullough said crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly.

“They checked the adjoining suites and the suite opposite on the backside, there was no other extension with the fire,” he said. “But there was some water damage experienced in those other suites.”

At 5:10pm, crews responded to the 800 Blk of Victoria Ave for a fire in a motel. On arrival, a second floor suite was fully involved in flames. Crews quickly extinguished the fire which was contained to the suite of origin. No injuries and fire is under investigation. #yqr pic.twitter.com/ddrOhtxiHT

— Regina Fire (@Regina_Fire) March 16, 2025