Winkler Fire Department responded to an industrial structure fire Wednesday afternoon at a truck box manufacturing facility on George Avenue.

Chief Richard Paetzold says when crews arrived they found a compressor building fully engulfed, threatening to spread to the larger main facility. Firefighters deployed lines to ensure the fire didn't spread to the larger building, and then proceeded to extinguish the blaze.

"Workers attempted to extinguish the fire when the fire alarm system detected the fire, but were not successful due to the fuel load," explained Paetzold. "None the less, the detection system did its job to notify the workers, so they could evacuate and proceed with their emergency plan for the facility."

Paetzold noted the cold and windy conditions yesterday didn't impact the actual firefighting operations, but during overhaul, crews had to keep some water flowing through the lines to ensure they didn't freeze up.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and no damage estimate is available at this time.