Firefighters believe the worst of a stubborn blaze that raged for six hours at the Stadium Shopping Centre is finally over.

The fire damaged six businesses and sent three people to hospital — including a child.

University Elementary School, located just west of the shopping centre in the city's northwest, was evacuated due to heavy smoke in the vicinity.

University School will remain closed on Friday due to the ongoing issues with air quality in the area <a href="https://t.co/ymD4RIxbo3">https://t.co/ymD4RIxbo3</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yycbe?src=hash">#yycbe</a> —@yyCBEdu

One student, a seven-year-old girl, was transported in stable condition to the Alberta Children's Hospital with respiratory complaints, according to EMS spokesman Stuart Brideaux. Another child, an eight-year-old boy, was also assessed by paramedics at the scene.

Two firefighters were also taken to hospital with injuries after falling on scene. One had a dislocated shoulder and the other is believed to have a broken rib, according to Battalion Chief Al Magwood.

About 320 students from the school walked to the Alberta Children's Hospital, located about 1.5 kilometres away, not as patients but simply because it was the best place for them to go, Brideaux said.

Several special-needs students were transported by bus to the same hospital.

Classes at nearby Westmount Charter School are not in session this week, according the school's calendar. Brideaux said the building was not occupied at the time of the fire, but was included in the evacuation order.

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The fire was reported at 7:20 a.m. in a portion of the strip mall that includes the Hi-Ball Restaurant, Billingsgate Seafood Market and The Cat House, a pet-supply store.

Magwood said the fire originated at Billingsgate but it's not clear how it started.

It later spread to the Saigon Star Vietnamese Restaurant and another nearby business, as well.

Hi-Ball Restaurant owner David Phui watched from the parking lot as his business of the past 20 years went up in smoke.

"It doesn't look good," Phui said, as firefighters continued in their efforts to subdue the flames.

The two resident felines of The Cat House sit comfortably in a car after being rescued from a fire that threatened the pet-supply store. (Monty Kruger/CBC)

Two resident cats from The Cat House were rescued and taken to safety.

Peter Chao, a manager at the store, said both felines were shaken up by the incident but not physically harmed.

"They seem a bit spooked but, otherwise, they're fine," Chao said.

The fire appeared to be largely subdued for a brief moment early on, but then flared up again around 8:30 a.m., with thick smoke emanating from the strip mall once again.

Air-quality testing

Firefighters described the blaze as a "stubborn" one.

"It's an older building," fire department spokeswoman Carol Henke said. "There's been numerous renovations over the years, so there's a lot of void spaces that the fire could travel through, and getting to those void spaces can be difficult."

Magwood said one of the biggest challenges was the fact that straw was used as a roofing material in the building.

"Once the fire gets into the straw, it becomes very unpredictable," he said.

Fire crews were testing the air quality in the area for the presence of hazardous materials and nearby businesses were being asked to temporarily shut down their ventilation systems.

Magwood said occasional flare-ups are still expected in the straw but the worst of the blaze was over as of about 1:30 p.m.

Firefighters will continue to monitor the situation for hot spots.

Liz Murray, past president of St. Andrews Heights Community Association, lives across the street.

"It's a sad day for us," she said. "Obviously with the businesses so close to the community, we get to know the business owners. We feel for the business owners and the employees who've lost their jobs today in a tough economic climate."