Winnipeg’s most vulnerable neighbourhoods seeing highest fire numbers

Every year, thousands of fires are reported in Winnipeg and some of the city’s most vulnerable neighbourhoods like William Whyte see the highest reports.

Since 2015, William Whyte has logged 678 structure fire reports, outpacing other fire leaders like the second place Spence Neighbourhood, which logged 326 reports and third placed Daniel McIntyre neighborhood, with 298 reports.

Data recorded by the WFPS logs how a call comes in when emergency crews are dispatched, with tens of thousands of calls recorded annually. 

Matthew Nyeste has lived in William Whyte for about a year and feels the fires are rooted in a lack of affordable housing.

“Trying to find shelter when you’re homeless is a big deal and that’s probably a big thing about it,” Nyeste says. “You can easily pry some of that stuff off, and go in there, and warm yourself up by lighting yourself a fire.”

Nyeste stressed he loves the tight-knit community and he plans to stay. But he says the burned-out buildings are a regular sight.

“We know that communities that are worst impacted by fire – structure and life loss to fire – are typically communities that face socio-economic challenges,” Nyeste says.

“Unfortunately, there are a lot of abandoned houses left in the neighbourhood that really aren’t maintained, so as far as I’m concerned, that’s the big issue,” Nyeste added.

Nick Kasper, president of the United Firefighters of Winnipeg, says the number of structure fires is likely higher than what’s reported in the data. 

“These are our busiest fire stations in Winnipeg and Winnipeg is the busiest fire department in Canada,” Kasper said.

Kasper says 20 new firefighters approved in the recent budget cycle for 2026 – half of what was requested — will cover things like overtime overages and leave, but there is still a desperate need in Winnipeg for more resources.

“We’re not doing enough to prevent fires or emergencies from happening in the first place, and once they do occur, our call volume is so high, and our apparatus availability is so low, that it’s taking us longer and longer to get to them,” Kasper said.

The City of Winnipeg is set to weigh in on these numbers in the coming days.