Crews return to fight reignited Mountain Avenue house fire

Winnipeg -

Winnipeg fire crews were busy fighting some persistent flames at a multi-family home in the North End overnight.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) said they were called to a two-and-a-half-storey house in the 300 block of Mountain Avenue around 8:50 p.m. Thursday evening. Smoke was seen coming from the windows when they arrived, but everyone had evacuated the structure safely.

Firefighters attacked the flames, bringing the fire under control by 9:38 p.m. WFPS then cleared the scene, with crews scheduled to come back and check for smouldering debris and hotspots throughout the night.

At 11:52 p.m., crews found that a previously undetected hotspot had reignited, with heavy smoke and flames coming from the structure.

Fire crews returned to the scene, and had to adopt a defensive position at first while battling the blaze. Eventually they were able to switch to an offensive strategy, putting the fire out at around 2:53 a.m. No one was hurt in the blaze. The City of Winnipeg’s Emergency Social Services department is helping residents find shelter until they are able to return home. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.