12°c Light rain showers
8°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Man rescued from burning McMillan Avenue home
Firefighters work at fire on McMillan. (SHANNON VANRAES/ FOR THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
Related Items
People watch fire from behind police lines. (SHANNON VANRAES/ WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
Fire destroyed house. (SHANNON VANRAES/ WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
Firefighters hose down scene this morning. (WAYNE GLOWACKI/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
WINNIPEG -- A 47-year-old man has burns to his hand and feet and suffered smoke inhalation after he was rescued from a rear porch roof of a burning home on McMillan Avenue early this morning.
Geoffrey Owen has since been released from hospital and returned to the fire scene this morning to be interviewed by investigators.
Fire ripped through the home in the 600 block of McMillan early this morning, destroying it and badly damaging a home next door.
City police say the blaze broke out around 2:20 a.m. in the home not far from Confusion Corner.
"Within two minutes of waking, I was on the roof of my house in my underwear," Owen told the Free Press. "I was scared for my life. I knew if I had to I could jump."
Owen said he first he woke up to "the sound of crackling" and when he came down the stairs he could see fire.
"I woke up in the middle of the night to violent sounds," he said, adding he went down the stairs, tried opening the main-floor door and "was hit by a wall of flames."
Owen said he went back to the second floor and escaped through a window. "I have an escape plan... luckily I did. I knew I could escape through the window.
"The smoke came so fast... it filled the house," he said. "My life is destroyed right now. Everything of mine is destroyed."
Next door to Owen, Mike Dillabough lives with his daughter, Michelle Cleland, and his girlfriend, Marla. Their home is heavily damaged, and Dillabough believes it can’t be salvaged.
He was sleeping inside when he woke to the sound of his daughter yelling, "Fire, fire."
The family ran out with a couple of pets, but two cats couldn’t be found.
Firefighters carried the cats (Lucy and Winston) out, safe and sound, a couple of hours later, to a very relieved Michelle who broke down in tears.
Dillabough said the family is blessed that they got out unharmed.
"It makes you realize how important fire safety is. The house engulfed only minutes after we got up."
A neighbour, Carla Bellman, said just after 2 a.m. this morning she heard someone yelling "Get out" and ran out to see what the commotion was all about.
She watched as firefighters got Owen safely down, adding the man looked "traumatized."
A spokesman with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said flames melted gas meters on both damaged homes, causing a gas leak.
An apartment block just around the corner was evacuated as a precaution, and residents used a city bus for shelter in the wee hours of the morning.
A Manitoba Hydro crew is working to fix the leak.
There is no word on a cause, but the home is considered a total loss, police said.
Winnipeg Police said the dollar loss for the destroyed home and contents is $600,000. There is about $400,000 damage to the second home.
The fire is being investigated by the members of the Arson Strike Force.
History
Updated on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 9:29 AM CDT: Updates with quotes from victim.
11:19 AM: Adds YouTube video
11:32 AM: adds dollar loss figure, adds that Arson Strike Force investigating
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
More Local
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Male facing charges after gun fired in Exchange District
10:12 AMPolice have one male in custody after shots rang out in the Exchange District overnight, followed by a car crash.
The ...
Poll
Most Popular Local
- Police identify slaying victims
- North End proud
- Fishing for fashion
- Fire damages St. Vital home
- Take me off your guest list, Harper
- The end of the credit card?
- Katz bogeys again
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Actor works to disable bullying
- Leaving a gang isn't easy — Sidney Letandre, now a paraplegic, knows it all too well
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Sex charges for ex-club boss
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- 'Responsible Winnipeg' ads appear on sign run by mayor-owned Goldeyes' baseball park
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Restaurant Dubrovnik demolished
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Parents, community relieved and elated as missing boy found safe
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Man missing since 2009 found safe
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Fishing for fashion
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- North End proud
- Woman's family launches lawsuit over fatal snowmobile accident
- Take me off your guest list, Harper
- Police identify slaying victims
- King of Veggies rules these parts
- Don't run again, Sam: survey
- Rejected by U of M, former Winnipegger became rocket scientist
- Mars Hill dirt bikers told to hit the road
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Fishing for fashion
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Sex charges for ex-club boss
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Newly minted MD a beacon for kids in youth program
- Heroic Mountie saves woman from icy river
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Mental-health patients get own ER
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Black market in moose thrives
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Steen invests $1M in family entertainment centre
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Boost same-sex curricula: union
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.