One person is in unstable condition and about 30 people have been displaced after a fire broke out in a West End apartment building early Sunday morning.
It happened in the 600 block of Ellice Ave.
The City of Winnipeg said Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews responded to a fire shortly after 4 a.m. in a three-storey walk-up apartment complex
“Upon arrival, crews encountered occupants of the building self-evacuating through the front and rear doors of the building,” read a news release.
“Two individuals had evacuated out of windows on the second floor and were clinging to a ledge. Crews quickly used ladders to bring these individuals to safety.”
Officials said they quickly extinguished the fire, bringing it under control by 4:33 a.m., then worked to ventilate smoke from the building.
While work to extinguish the fire was happening, crews were also searching the building.
“Firefighters located one individual still in the building. This individual was transported to hospital in critical condition but has since been upgraded to unstable condition.”
One cat was also found dead in the building.
The city said after people living in the apartment got out, they waited for a Winnipeg Transit bus inside a nearby business.
When the bus arrived, paramedics assisted people and provided assessments. No other injuries were reported.
By around 11 a.m., The City of Winnipeg’s Emergency Social Services team was still on scene to ensure all displaced residents had somewhere safe to go while the building is uninhabitable.
The City’s Animal Services Agency was also on scene to provide care for animals displaced by the fire.
Traffic in the area will remain impacted until crews complete their work.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and no damage estimates are available at this time.
