One person was taken to hospital and dozens of residents were forced to leave their suites after the roof of an 18-storey highrise in Osborne Village caught fire Thursday evening.
Deputy fire chief Scott Wilkinson told media fire crews responded to a two-alarm call for “heavy fire” on the roof of 221 Stradbrook Ave., known as The Spot at East Village.
Firefighters had to climb 18 flights of stairs because there was no elevator access, but were quickly able to get the fire under control.
MIKE THIESSEN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Fire crews responded to a two-alarm call for “heavy fire” on the roof of 221 Stradbrook Ave., known as The Spot at East Village.
Wilkinson said one person was taken to hospital in unstable condition with smoke inhalation but they are “hoping for a positive outcome.” Some firefighters were being assessed for heat exhaustion as well.
Outside the building, dozens of tenants gathered with babies and toddlers and their pets, including cats in carriers and dogs on leashes.
Resident Adam Minaker was worried about his cat. He lives on the 16th floor but was at the gym when the fire started. He found out about it through a friend who sent him a video and he rushed to the scene.
“I miss her,” he said of the 10-year-old cat.
Minaker said he’s lived in the building since November and there are often false alarms but he’s never seen anything like this.
Plumes of black smoke could be seen across the city just after 7 p.m.
MIKE THIESSEN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Firefighters had to climb 18 flights of stairs because there was no elevator access, but were quickly able to get the fire under control.
Some residents were in tears as they waited to hear about their pets and sort out what they would do that night.
Fire officials gathered residents together at around 8:30 to tell them it would be a while more before they could return. They were advised to stay with friends, call their tenant insurance provider or stick around to ask for help from social services.
The building owner also had units in another building potentially available.
Officials took the names of anyone with a pet still in the building and told them firefighters would go in to rescue them.
Wilkinson said it was too early to say what had caused the fire but there’s “heavy fire damage” that was primarily confined to the roof and HVAC equipment on the roof.
He said there is likely water damage to the upper floors and that water made its way down the stairwells and elevator shaft.
MIKE THIESSEN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Deputy fire chief Scott Wilkinson said it was too early to say what had caused the fire but there’s “heavy fire damage” that was primarily confined to the roof and HVAC equipment on the roof.
The damage cost is expected to be “significant.”
Katrina Clarke
Investigative reporter
Katrina Clarke is an investigative reporter with the Winnipeg Free Press.
