Fire strikes troubled West End building again

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This article was published 04/08/2023 (804 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Flames, smoke and fire crews have become a familiar sight to residents of a low-barrier apartment building in the West End, which caught fire again Friday afternoon.

“It’s heavily damaged, as you can see from the damage to the exterior. It was venting out all the windows when we arrived,” Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service platoon chief Brent Cheater said as he gestured toward the top floor of the three-storey Adanac Apartments at 743 Sargent Ave., where the brick exterior was blackened by smoke and flames.

“We’ve been here numerous times. Our crews are very familiar with this building.”

Dozens of firefighters, paramedics and police converged on the building around 2:30 p.m., after the WFPS received reports of a fire.

Crews arrived to find a suite on the third floor engulfed in flames and smoke. Crews attacked the fire from outside, before moving in and declaring it under control within 20 minutes.

“We’ve had a number of fires here in the last number of years, so our crews check in here regularly and are well-versed on how to attack this kind of fire in this building.”

Many of the tenants had left the building before crews arrived, but several remained inside, which presented a challenge to firefighters, he said.

A preliminary investigation suggests the blaze was contained to a single suite, but its cause is unknown. Other areas of the building may have been damaged by water, the platoon chief said.

The city’s emergency services department is looking for temporary shelter for roughly 20 people displaced by the blaze.

By 3 p.m., at least four fire engines remained on scene, along with numerous emergency and police vehicles. Sargent Avenue was closed to traffic in all directions from Simcoe to Toronto streets. Dozens of residents gathered to watch first-responders at work.

A man, who asked not to be named, identified himself as a tenant of the apartment and said he was on the top floor when the fire broke out.

“I just opened the door into a cloud of black smoke,” he said, describing how he ran, frightened, from the building.

Standing on the corner of Sargent Avenue and Beverly Street, he watched as fire crews wound their hoses and cleared equipment from the area, unsure about when — or if — he would be able to return to his suite.

When he moved into the building a few weeks ago, he did not realize it would be dangerous, he said.

“There are alarms going off all night long, people passed out in the hallways with needles in their arms,” he said. “I’m scared of everything here… Somebody just kicked in my door and stole what little items I had — my TV, DVD player, the food out of my fridge.”

Cheater confirmed looting is a common problem in the building, particularly in the wake of a fire.

Dixie Halladay, who lives in a building across the street from the Adanac Apartments, said residents are fed up with the building.

“One day we’ll get it torn down. That’s what we want,” she said.

Karin Harper-Penner ,who owns the property with her husband, Patrick Penner, said she was still trying to determine the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.

“I don’t know anything yet. I haven’t spoken to anybody,” she said by phone.

The unit where it is believed to have started was occupied, she said.

The apartment provides housing for people with low-income, addictions and housing barriers. Harper-Penner urged nearby residents not to condemn the property for the challenges that come with its clientele.

“It’s not because of the building. It’s always a human error,” she said.

The landlord said she will assess the damage and try to find replacement housing for displaced tenants. She operates several similar buildings throughout the city.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca