St. James garage blaze caused by fire pit spark: WFPS

Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service (WFPS) crews were busy overnight, responding to a pair of blazes in vacant structures in the west part of the city.

Firefighters say they got the first call at 12:07 a.m. Friday morning. Emergency crews rushed to a garage fire in the 300 block of Inglewood Street in St. James. They fought through the smoke and flames, and quickly put out the fire.

Then, at 7:21 a.m. in Wolseley, crews responded to a vacant one-and-a-half-storey house in the 200 block of Ruby Street.

This one took longer to extinguish; the fire was declared under control at 8:06 a.m.

No one was injured in either fire.

While the cause of the second fire is still under investigation, WFPS says preliminary observations suggest the first fire was accidental, possibly caused by a spark from a backyard fire pit.

Investigators say the spark may have come to rest on the garage and, after smouldering for several hours, burst into flame. The fire pit in question was not bylaw compliant.

Winnipeggers are reminded to exercise caution when using a fire pit. While you do not need a permit to have one, local bylaws state they must be located a safe distance away from nearby structures.