West End house destroyed in Sunday afternoon fire

A house in Winnipeg’s West End was destroyed in a fire on Sunday afternoon.

Just before 3 p.m., the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) was called to a fire at a vacant home in the 600 block of Furby Street.

When crews got to the scene, they found heavy smoke coming from the house, and launched an exterior attack due to the high heat.

The conditions improved for a short time, and WFPS crews were able to go inside the house and apply water to the fire. However, conditions worsened, which forced the firefighters to switch back to an exterior attack with an aerial ladder.

Once most of the fire was extinguished, crews were able to get inside the home again and extinguish the hot spots. The fire was declared under control just before 7 p.m.

Everyone inside the neighbouring homes were evacuated and no one was hurt.

There are no damage estimates at this time, but the house sustained smoke fire and water damage and is expected to be a complete loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation.