Two in hospital after West End Fire

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This article was published 05/04/2020 (1480 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A blaze that broke out in a West End apartment complex early today sent two people to hospital — one in critical condition — and others searching for a place to stay during a time when people are being asked to stay home.

About a dozen fire trucks were parked along the street near the charred red-brick complex at 737-743 Sargent Ave., on the northwest corner of Sargent and Beverley Street, hours after the fire started. An investigation into the cause of the blaze is underway.

Resident-caretaker Ryan Fenwick stared in disbelief at the remnants of his second-floor unit from across the street.

Fenwick said he awoke to a knock on his door and “huge flames” at about 5:45 a.m. A fire started in the suite directly below him on the main floor, he said, adding both units were “totalled.”

Emergency crews searched the four-storey complex and rescued several people, using a ladder to remove a third-floor occupant through a window. The fire was declared under control within an hour.

Nine people needed medical assessment, and two of them were taken to hospital. Some cats, at least one of which needed oxygen before being reunited with the its owner, were also rescued from the building.

Winnipeg Transit buses were sent to the scene to provide shelter for the evacuees, who will not be able to return to their suites. The city’s emergency social services team was dispatched to connect with the tenants about available resources.

A damage estimate wasn’t immediately available, nor were estimates for a series of fires that took place Sunday afternoon and evening.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service battled four blazes between 2:30 p.m. and midnight Sunday, the first of which began in a single-family house in the 400 block of King Edward Street. Initial observations suggested the fire, which appeared to be accidental, was caused by combustibles being stored too close to a hot water tank.

Also Sunday, firefighters responded to two fires around 8:30 p.m. in a two-and-a-half storey house under renovation in the 100 block of Helmsdale Avenue and a one-and-a-half-storey, single-family house in the 800 block of Ashburn Street.

One person was taken to hospital in stable condition from the scene of the fourth fire, which started at about 10:30 p.m. in a downtown apartment building in the first block of Carlton Street. No other injuries were reported in the Sunday fires.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie