Crews battle flames at Winnipeg apartment building already damaged in rash of recent blazes

A Winnipeg firetruck is shown in an undated photo.

A Winnipeg firefighter was taken to hospital after battling a fire at a Spence neighbourhood apartment building – a structure that was already damaged in a number of blazes over recent months and years.

According to the city, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service was called to the blaze just after 7:30 Wednesday night in the 500 block of Balmoral Street, which was vacant and boarded up at the time.

Crews arrived to find smoke coming from the structure.

The city says WFPS launched a defensive attack outside the building. Once conditions improved, they went inside and finished putting the fire out.

Hose lines and an aerial ladder truck were used to douse the flames. The WFPS drone was also launched to direct crews to hotspots.

The fire was declared under control at around 8:45 p.m.

Crews searched the building, finding no one inside.

One firefighter was injured at the scene, and was transported to hospital in stable condition.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

4 previous fires at same apartment building: city

According to the city, the apartment was already damaged from a number of previous fires. The most recent was in June.

The city said if residents see someone actively entering a vacant structure, or removing boards from windows or doors, they should report the incident immediately by calling 911.

Additionally, anyone who sees that boarded windows or doors have been breached, but do not see someone going inside or attempting to enter, should report the incident to 311.

The warning comes amid a rise of fires in our city - many in vacant or derelict properties.

According to WFPS numbers, crews responded to 3,389 fires last year – an increase of about 33 per cent compared to 2022 and an 87 per cent increase since 2019.

To tackle the issue, the city rolled out a host of changes to improve safety for vacant and derelict buildings.

This includes council’s recent changes to the Vacant Building Bylaw, which creates a new standard for boarding up vacant buildings. These changes include using thicker plywood and bracing for doors and windows, and using fasteners to make boards more difficult to remove.

The goals of these bylaw changes are to prevent break-ins and cut down on calls for service to bylaw enforcement and the WFPS.

- With files from CTV's Kayla Rosen