Firefighters are currently battling a fire at a Winnipeg hotel on Garry Street. 

Emergency crews were called to the Windsor Hotel just south of Portage Ave. around 10:45 on Wednesday morning.

Witnesses in the area say that thick black smoke is pouring from the building. 

Garry St. is currently closed from York to St. Mary Ave. as a result. The City of Winnipeg is asking the public to avoid the area.

A firetruck is scene from an aerial shot, with its ladder extended. Thick smoke covers the streetFirefighters have closed Garry St. while they respond to the call. (WinnipegTMC/X)

The hotel was once an iconic Winnipeg landmark. Originally constructed in 1903 as a boarding house, it was redesigned as a hotel in 1910, according to winnipegarchitecture.ca.

Silent film actor Charlie Chaplin stayed at the hotel in 1913. In the 1990s it became a popular place to catch blues and jazz concerts. 

However, the hotel had fallen on tough times recently. In March it was ordered closed due to a health hazard order, and in April the City filed a boarded building order. At the time the closure displaced 20 residents.

The owner of the building had challenged the boarded building order and asked the City for more time to see if the building could be repaired.

There is no word at this time on the cause of the fire or if anyone was inside the building when it began.