Monday morning fires leave Winnipeg building, homes severely damaged

Winnipeg crews on scene of the fire on Keewatin Street.

A pair of major fires on Monday have left a Winnipeg building and two homes with extensive damage.

The first fire began just before 4:45 a.m. at a commercial building in the 1000 block of Keewatin Avenue.

When the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) got to the scene, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the building. Crews then began to attack the fire from outside the building due to the advanced conditions of the fire.

To extinguish the blaze, firefighters used aerial ladder trucks and handlines. The WFPS drone was also used to direct water streams and find hotspots.

Crews are expected to remain on scene throughout the day, and Keewatin will remain closed until work is finished.

The building sustained significant fire and water damage, but there are no damage estimates at this time.

The second and unrelated fire began around 6:10 a.m. at two vacant houses in the 400 block of Elgin Avenue.

When firefighters got the scene, they found that the fire was threatening a third home, which had people inside. Crews immediately evacuated the residents of this home out of precaution.

To extinguish this fire, the WFPS used an aerial ladder truck and handlines. The fire is now under control, but crews remained on scene to extinguish hotspots.

Both houses were already damaged from previous fires and are considered total losses. The decision was then made to demolish both houses.

Elgin will remain closed until demolition is complete later on Monday.

Both fires are under investigation.