Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to a report of a fire in a one-and-a-half storey vacant house on Salter Street just south of Redwood Avenue just before 3:00 am Sunday, October 3, 2021.
(Robb Mitchell/ News 4)
As crews arrived on the scene they found the house well-involved with flames and heavy smoke coming from the structure. Power lines near the building had dropped and were sparking in the back lane as firefighters began a defensive attack on the fire.
An aerial ladder was set up to attack the fire from above as other firefighters used hand lines and truck mounted water cannons to fight the blaze from the ground.
Occupants in a nearby home were evacuated while emergency crews battled the fire. No injuries were reported.
Police closed Salter to vehicle and pedestrian traffic in both directions around the fire. The blaze was declared under control at 4:21 am.
The building sustained extensive structural damage and is considered a complete loss.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A contractor was brought in to demolish the house Sunday morning but during the demolition, a natural gas line was ruptured causing gas to vent into the air. Firefighters returned to the scene and evacuated the neighbouring buildings as a precaution until Manitoba Hydro crews could shut off the severed line.
© News4.ca 2021
