1 in hospital after overnight fire in Winnipeg’s North End

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Services says one person is in hospital after a fire at a two-storey home just after midnight Friday.

WFPS says they responded to a report of a fire around 12:04 a.m. along Flora Avenue near Parr Street.

WPS reportedly arrived at the scene first and were able to rescue one person — a 53-year-old man — who was still inside the home.

Officers had discovered that the man was trapped in the basement due to fire, which was making it impossible to escape through the door. The windows of the basement has also been boarded up with plywood and security bars, adding to the unlikelihood of the man’s escape.

The two officers were able to find a shovel and an ice scraper in the yard, and used them to remove the plywood until backup arrived with breaching tools.

After officers managed to remove the obstacles from in front of a window, they directed the man through smoke in the basement and were able to help him out of the home.

The man was then taken to hospital in unstable condition by paramedics. Two WPS officers were also treated at the scene for minor injuries.

WFPS says by the time they arrived at the scene, smoke could be seen coming from the home. The fire was declared under control at 12:38 a.m.

At this time, the cause of the fire and damage estimates are unknown, with officials saying the home was damaged by water, fire, and smoke.

The City of Winnipeg’s Emergency Social Services team was also on hand at the scene, and is working to find temporary accommodations for those who have been displaced.