Elite International Massage Parlour Fire

January 25, 2011

CBC News reports, 24 Jan 2011:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/windsor/story/2011/01/24/wdr-fire-ouellette.html

Fire engulfed several buildings on Ouellette Avenue, the main street in downtown Windsor, Ont., after a massage parlour caught fire early Monday.

Fire officials said nobody was injured in the blaze, which saw flames and heavy smoke shoot out of the roof of Elite International Massage on the west side of Ouellette across from the Holiday Inn Downtown Windsor, between Park Avenue and Maiden Lane.

The fire broke out around 6:15 a.m. and was not brought under control until 2:20 p.m. Five or six fire trucks and close to 20 firefighters were needed to tame the fire.

Fire crews used ladder trucks to hose down the roof of the building, as well as the adjacent businesses in the 400 block of Ouellette.

Other firefighters doused the flames from the ground in front of the buildings. The window panes, storefront sign and door were all absent from the massage parlour when CBC arrived at the scene.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

The fire gutted the building and the two businesses next door ? one was a restaurant called the Drunkin' Burrito and the other was a souvenir shop ....

January 26, 2011

CBC News reports, 25 Jan 2011:

The focus of the investigation into the Ouellette Avenue fire has changed to an arson investigation, confirmed Windsor police late Tuesday afternoon.

Police said they have new information that has changed their focus to a criminal investigation, but would not provide any details on possible suspects. More information would be available on Wednesday, they said ....

A massage parlour burning to the ground wasn't considered a total loss to the Executive Director of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association.

"The first thing literally you saw when you turned the corner coming out of the [Detroit-Windsor] tunnel was these giant red lips. So I would say that we won't see that as a big loss," said Chris Edwards.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/windsor/story/2011/01/25/wdr-fire-ouellette-massage-parlour.html