Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) crews faced a challenging morning battling two separate structure fires in frigid temperatures. The blazes, one on Winnipeg Avenue and the other on Parr Street tested firefighters’ resilience while displacing residents and sending two people to the hospital.
The first fire broke out at approximately 5:55 a.m. in a two-and-a-half storey residence in the 800 block of Winnipeg Avenue. Arriving crews were met with heavy black smoke and a trapped individual on an upper floor. Firefighters swiftly rescued the person using ladders and simultaneously launched an interior attack on the blaze. Two cats were also rescued from the home. The rescued resident was transported to hospital in stable condition.
Freezing temperatures posed a significant challenge, creating icy and slippery conditions around the scene. Firefighters were rotated in and out of operations to provide relief from the extreme cold. The fire was declared under control at 6:54 a.m., but crews remain on scene extinguishing hotspots. The residence sustained significant smoke, fire, and water damage.
Just minutes later, at 6:08 a.m., WFPS crews responded to a second fire in a two-storey townhouse in the 0 to 100 block of Parr Street. Heavy smoke and flames were visible upon arrival. All occupants of the affected unit had self-evacuated, but one person was injured after jumping from a second-floor window and was transported to the hospital in an unstable condition. Occupants of adjacent townhouses were evacuated and sheltered in a Winnipeg Transit bus. The City’s Emergency Social Services team is providing support to the displaced residents.
Like the Winnipeg Avenue fire, crews battled the Parr Street blaze in frigid conditions, rotating in and out of operations for breaks from the cold. The fire, which caused significant smoke, fire, and water damage to the townhouse, is still being fully extinguished.
Road closures remain in effect at both locations, and residents are advised to exercise caution in the areas after the incidents are mitigated due to potentially icy conditions from frozen water. City crews will monitor the areas and apply sand and de-icing agents as needed.
The causes of both fires are under investigation.
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