Point Douglas building ‘complete loss’ after fire; residents displaced
Posted March 4, 2023 11:33 am.
Last Updated March 5, 2023 10:13 am.
Several people were evacuated from their homes Saturday morning after a fire tore through a commercial and residential building in the Point Douglas neighbourhood.
Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were called to the two-storey building on Main Street near Sutherland Avenue shortly before 7:30 a.m.
Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames. They say the building, which was at a risk of collapse when they showed up, will be a complete loss.
Fire trucks dumped thousands of gallons of water onto the property to try to contain the flames.
Occupants reportedly evacuated before the arrival of WFPS personnel. One person was taken to hospital in stable condition after being assessed by paramedics on the scene.
Fire crews on scene in the 800 block of Main Street in #Winnipeg this morning. Traffic closed in both directions and will be for hours. pic.twitter.com/lCq1YzbUtw
— ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? (@_MorganModjeski) March 4, 2023
A neighbouring high-rise apartment was evacuated and a second alarm was called to increase the number of crews on the scene.
Winnipeg Transit deployed buses to shelter those who evacuated their homes. Some will need temporary accommodations, WFPS said in a release.
Fire crews were still battling the blaze in the late morning. They were expected to remain on the scene throughout the day, calling it a “prolonged incident.”
Main Street was closed to all traffic between Higgins Avenue and Dufferin Avenue on Saturday morning.
Residents on edge after 2 fires
It comes just two weeks after a blaze tore through three Winnipeg businesses, just a block away.
The Feb. 11 fire destroyed Surplus Direct, Top Pro Roofing and Lord Selkirk Furniture near Jarvis Avenue.
Two two blazes in quick succession have put some residents in the neighbourhood on edge.
Lennard McLeod, who lives in the building next door, says the fires are jeopardizing everyone’s safety.
“They’re coming here every second week, something burning down,” he said. “We’re next?”
Business owner Tyson Romaniuk says the fires are definitely an issue and with every blaze comes a bit more anxiety.
“It’s stressful,” said Romaniuk. “We’re just seeing what the outcome of this one is. We’re still dealing with the one from last week here. If you don’t know, we had a fire here last year, there was a four-storey building right beside my building, it burnt right down to the ground. We were lucky, we didn’t have any damage, but that’s not always the case around here lately.
“This is too close to home.”
The cause of the latest Main Street fire is under investigation.
“I just don’t get it anymore,” said Romaniuk. “People are just worried about who’s next, right?”
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