WINNIPEG - Some Winnipeg artists have lost nearly their entire life's work in an aggressive fire that reduced a shared studio space to rubble and ash.
Performance artist Shawna Dempsey was one of 27 people who worked out of the three-storey warehouse that went up in flames early Monday.
Firefighters were called to the building about 1 a.m., but crews were pulled back when conditions deteriorated and the fire engulfed the structure.
There is no damage estimate or cause.
Dempsey says it's devastating that she and her art partner, Lorri Millan, lost all their costumes, financial records, videos and archives.
She says it's like losing your history and your identity, but she is determined to continue making art.
A fundraiser established by local galleries and an art magazine has already raised more than $40,000.