Winnipeg crews respond to five fires in under eight hours

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The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) was kept busy overnight Thursday as crews responded to five fires in less than eight hours.

The first fire took place just before 7 p.m. on Thursday in a commercial warehouse on Edwin Street.

Crews quickly brought the fire under control after finding smoke and flames coming from the building.

No one was inside the building at the time of the fire.

Just over an hour later at 8:13 p.m., crews were called to the second fire in a bungalow in the 100 block of Dearborn Avenue.

When firefighters got to the scene, they found smoke and flames coming from the home, with the fire extending to a neighbouring house.

The WFPS launched an interior attack, declaring the fire under control by 8:44 p.m.

Occupants of both homes got out safely before crews arrived. The city brought in its emergency social services team to help the displaced residents find temporary accommodations.

The WFPS was dispatched to the third fire in a vacant house in the 600 block of Westminster Avenue just before midnight.

Firefighters found smoke and flames coming from the home and launched an attack from inside the house. The fire was under control by 12:43 a.m.

No one was inside the home at the time of the fire. The city notes that this house had been damaged in two previous fires in August 2022 and May 2023.

The fourth fire began around 1:25 a.m. on Friday in a house on Kinkora Drive.

According to the city, the attached garage had gone up in flames with the fire extending to the home.

Firefighters initially launched an exterior attack but transitioned to an interior attack once it was safe for them to go inside. Crews got the fire under control by 2:41 a.m.

Everyone inside the house got out safely before WFPS arrived.

The fifth and final fire took place just after 2:40 a.m. in a garage in the 500 block of Polson Avenue.

When the WFPS got to the scene, they found the garage engulfed in flames with the fire extending to a second garage.

Crews worked to extinguish the fire, getting it under control by 3 a.m.

No one was hurt in any of the five fires, which are all under investigation. There are no damage estimates for any of the fires at this time.

Vacant structure warning

The City of Winnipeg reminds residents that if they see someone trying to get inside a vacant structure or removing boards from windows or doors, they should report the incident immediately by calling 911.

If you see boarded windows that have been breached but do not see someone actively entering the structure, you should report the information to 311.