A Winnipeg firefighter is recovering from injuries sustained battling a large blaze Sunday that destroyed one building and damaged a church.

Crews were called to a strip mall in the 800 block of Main Street at 7:43 Sunday morning. The large fire kept firefighters busy for hours and had several units involved.

When crews arrived, the City of Winnipeg says in a release, they encountered heavy smoke and flames coming from the structure. An offensive attack was initially launched but deteriorating conditions forced the crews to exit the building and transition to a defensive attack.

Crews used two aerial ladders and handlines to extinguish the fire while also protecting neighbouring structures. The WFPS drone was also used for situational awareness and the detection of hot spots.

With the help of Winnipeg Police Service members, crews evacuated occupants from neighbouring units in the building. One firefighter was injured. They were treated by on-scene paramedics and transported to hospital in stable condition. No other injuries were reported.

The City says the building is a complete loss with fire damage and a collapsed roof.

A neighbouring church, Holy Ascension Greek Orthodox Church, also suffered smoke and water damage. Damage estimates are not available at this time.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Crews remained on scene well until the afternoon and traffic was closed for some time.