WFPS battles grass fire in Transcona neighbourhood

Smoke filled the air in Winnipeg’s Transcona neighbourhood on Monday afternoon, as crews responded to an apparent fire.

Describing the blaze as a “large grass fire,” Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service says residents were asked to avoid the 600 block Gunn Road as crews respond.

Around 2 p.m., WFPS found a grassfire moving towards commercial/industrial structures and evacuated nearby businesses.

“Within a couple of minutes you could start hearing real loud bangs and pops, so we assumed things were exploding,” said Trevor Ditchfield, who witnessed the fire.

Due to dry conditions and high winds, the fire spread rapidly and hit several buildings, according to officials.

The heat forced firefighters to work on rotation, needing time to rest and rehydrate. Two firefighters were treated by paramedics, but were not taken to hospital.

Fire crews worked to extinguish structure fires and contain the blaze before it was finally declared under control at 5:01 p.m.

Over 30 WFPS apparatuses were used during the firefighting effort. Springfield Fire Rescue also responded to the fire, as it was on the border between the two municipalities.

Monday, officials were not sure how many buildings were lost in the fire.

“We’ve lost a few structures on both sides of the fire along the south side of Gunn Road,” said Scott Wilkinson, the deputy chief of Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service on Tuesday.

However, on Tuesday, ash and debris were all that remained at a car storage lot in North Transcona.

The owners estimate that as many as 500 vehicles were destroyed by the fire. 

“I was sitting in this office and he says, ‘Al, you better get out of here, this place is going to burn up.’ And I said ‘What are you talking about?’” explained Al Thompson, the owner of Thompson Rink Equipment Ltd.

Thankfully for Thompson, whose curling equipment business neighbours the lot, fire crews were able to get the blaze under control before it was able to spread any further.

Thompson says he could only watch as the fire came through the back of his property, towards the car lot.

“I knew the minute it licked into that yard next door, that there, all hell would break loose,” he explained.

WFPS confirmed Tuesday that a fire watch is in effect for the area, but due to the complexity of the blaze, they were unable to provide further details, other than the fire remains under investigation. 

-With files from Kurt Black