Advocate wants ‘action now’ after another vacant home goes up in flames in Winnipeg

After another vacant home fire in Winnipeg, a community advocate wants things to change it 2023.

North-End advocate Sel Burrows says concrete action must be taken next year to deal with what he calls a crisis when it comes to vacant home fires.

“We have to get the vacant housing situation under control,” he said. “We have way too many houses that are allowed to be vacant for too long.

“We need action now.”

Burrows, a longtime inner-city advocate, wants to see Winnipeg’s new mayor and council take on the issue of vacant houses.

Friday morning, a home on Selkirk Avenue near Arlington Street suffered extensive fire damage.

While speaking to CityNews in front of the still smoking house, Burrows said a number of emotions come to mind.

“Frustrated. Despair,” he said. “We have the rules in the City of Winnipeg. We have good bylaws –vacant building bylaws. They need to be enforced. That requires the City of Winnipeg to do its job.”

RELATED:

• As more vacant homes in Winnipeg go up in flames, advocates want city to act
• Vacant house fire sent three firefighters to hospital, displaced 16 neighbours
• Firefighter injured battling blaze at vacant home on Selkirk Avenue

Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service responded to fires at 62 vacant buildings between April 5 and Oct. 31.

Burrows says the fact so many houses are sitting vacant and catching fire is infuriating, especially with the number of people experiencing homelessness.

“This is a crisis situation in Winnipeg,” he said.

Scene after a vacant house on Winnipeg’s Selkirk Avenue went up in flames on Dec. 30, 2022. (Credit: CityNews/Morgan Modjeski)

There were no injuries reported as a result of the Selkirk Avenue fire, according to the WFPS. Two homes were temporarily evacuated as crews worked to fight the blaze.

The house is expected to be a complete loss.

Neighbour says his home was damaged by flames

“At around 4 o’clock, I see the firefighters come here, right and then I look, and there was smoke coming from this house,” said neighbour On Chea.

Chea lives next door and was evacuated for roughly four hours. He says his house suffered some damage as a result of the blaze.

Chea believes the home was vacant since last summer and says the entire situation has left him shaken up.

“I was scared it would damage my house, right?” he said. “And now the side window is black right now and the shingle… I just changed the window and the roof last summer.”

WFPS says it was able to stop the fire from spreading to nearby homes.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Flames being put out at vacant house on Winnipeg’s Selkirk Avenue on Dec. 30, 2022. (Credit: CityNews/Morgan Modjeski)