Large strip mall fire shuts down part of Stony Plain Road, forces people to stay inside

Residents at home in west Edmonton’s Canora and Jasper Place areas were told to shelter in place on Monday morning, due to poor air quality from a nearby strip mall fire on Stony Plain Road.

Firefighters were called just after 6 a.m. to 154 Street and Stony Plain Road, and arrived five minutes later to find smoke billowing from the Moon Palace Restaurant.

The fire was quickly upgrade to a second-alarm response, and 12 crews — or 48 firefighters — ended up on scene.

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said the roof of the restaurant collapsed, and the fire spread to Anatolia Food Market, a Mediterranean deli and restaurant in the middle of the strip mall.

The building was not safe to enter, so firefighters were forced to attack the blaze from the outside.

Area residents were told to shelter in place due to the poor air quality, as the smoke was not dissipating very quickly due to the weather. A Hazmat team was on site doing air-quality monitoring.

As a result of the fire, EFRS said the eastbound and westbound lanes of Stony Plain Road between 149 and 156 streets were shut down.

Police said the closure was expected to last several hours, and officers were on scene helping firefighters re-direct traffic.

As of 9 a.m., the fire was still out of control.

— More to come…