Firefighters helped rescue two people from a blaze as West Broadway lit up in the darkest hours Tuesday morning.
Just after 1 a.m., a home in the 100 block of Furby Street, which had been converted to four apartment suites, caught fire.
Someone inside called 911.
Jeff Pirrie's roommate saw flames in their suite and woke him up.
“I jumped out of bed, and opened the door, and the flames were already there. I had to run through the flames to get out the door,” said Pirrie.
But some couldn't make it out the front door.
“I saw two people on the roof screaming for help. Smoke billowing out of both floors, third and second floor windows,” said Chris Goulsbra, who lives nearby.
Winnipeg fire platoon chief Frank Leswick said police officers in the Air1 helicopter spotted two people trapped at the top of the building.
“They were in a rear suite. They were able to get up on the balcony and the fire department was able to get ladders up there and get them down,” said Leswick.
The people firefighters rescued with ladders were assessed on site, but didn't need to go to hospital.
One of Pirrie's pets wasn't so lucky.
His cat, Meegwetch, escaped, but another cat, Brandon didn't make it out alive.
A third cat remained missing. Pirrie feared the worst.
Then 12 hours after the fire, he spotted her trapped inside the smoky suite.
"And her name is Lucky. Go figure," said Pirrie.
Police unlocked the building to let Lucky out. She was unharmed.
The building manager said most residents are staying with family or friends while the fire commission assesses the building.
Investigators believe an unattended pot of food caused the fire.
Damage is estimated at $100,000.
