UPDATED –
Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) was called to an apartment fire early Thursday morning, December 26, 2019, on Agnes Street.
As crews arrived on the scene just after 2:20 am they saw smoke billowing from the three-storey structure.
Firefighters began an offensive attack but had to transition to a defensive attack when conditions inside the structure deteriorated.
The people in the building at the time of the blaze were exiting as emergency crews arrived.
According to several residents, the fire started in a third-floor suite. They told News 4 that the smoke was thick and they could see flames coming from the apartment.
The fire quickly spread to the roof of the building.
A Winnipeg Transit bus was brought in to give the residents standing on the street a place to keep warm.
Paramedics assessed several people on the scene but no one had to be taken to the hospital according to officials.
Damage to the building was so extensive that it is a total loss and is now slated to come down.
The City’s Emergency Social Services Team will be working with about 25 people who were displaced by the fire.
Sargent Avenue is closed in both directions between Maryland Street and Toronto Street as crews work to put out hotspots.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
© News4.ca 2020
