A blaze at a West End condominium building forced about 20 people to flee as the fire tore through their homes in Winnipeg.

Crews were called to the scene in the 800 block of St. Paul Avenue just after 4 a.m. Wednesday.

"The firemen came and the flames were shooting out the back door," said Jenny Prest, who was renting a suite in the building.

The building contained eight suites, with about 20 people inside at the time of the fire. All were able to escape.

Crews also evacuated buildings on either side of the structure. A nearby daycare was closed at the time of the fire.

Officers blocked off Arlington Street and Burnell Street between St. Matthews Avenue and Portage Avenue and asked motorists and pedestrians to avoid the area Wednesday morning.

Shortly before 5 p.m., police said Arlington had re-opened.

Residents of the condo said they saw smoke coming out of a storage room in the basement, before flames moved towards the roof.

Crews began battling the blaze inside the building but had to pull back as the fire spread.

"It's in the walls – a lot of hidden spaces and because we can't get to the interior, there are a lot of hot spots in the building, so we're drowning it from the exterior because that's the safest (location) for our crews," said Jim Zaborniak, platoon chief.

It only took about 15 minutes for the blaze to engulf the building.

The condo's suites had recently been renovated, said residents.

"I had all my childhood photos and diaries I thought I'd keep for my children…now it's all gone," said Prest.

While she lost all her belongings in the fire, Prest said she knows the fire could have been much worse.

She said she's also learned some lessons.

"Scan your pictures, get renters insurance – I don't have renter's insurance but I have a lot of friends and family that have offered to help so I'm sure I'll be okay," she said.

A member of the condo board said the building had passed a fire inspection and was up to code. All suites were equipped with smoke alarms and there were fire extinguishers in place, said the board.

A damage estimate has not yet been set, but the building is considered a total loss and will have to be torn down, said city officials.

- with a report from CTV's Karen Rocznik