Roof of Stradbrook highrise catches fire

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This article was published 17/08/2023 (795 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two people were taken to hospital and dozens of residents were forced to leave their suites after the roof of an 18-storey highrise caught fire Thursday evening.

Deputy fire chief Scott Wilkinson told media earlier in the evening that fire crews responded to a two-alarm call at 7 p.m. for a “heavy fire” on the roof of 221 Stradbrook Ave., known as The Spot at East Village.

Firefighters had to climb 18 flights of stairs because there was no elevator access, but were quickly able to get the fire under control by 7:45 p.m.

One person was taken to hospital in unstable condition with smoke inhalation but they are “hoping for a positive outcome,” Wilkinson said Thursday night.

A firefighter was also transported to hospital in stable condition, a news release later stated.

Outside the building, east of Donald Street, dozens of tenants gathered with babies and toddlers and their pets, including cats in carriers and dogs on leashes.

Some residents were in tears as they waited to hear about their pets and sort out what they would do that night.

Resident Adam Minaker was worried about his cat. He lives on the 16th floor but was at the gym when the fire started. He found out about it through a friend who sent him a video and he rushed to the scene.

“I miss her,” he said of the 10-year-old cat.

Minaker said he has lived in the building since November and there are often false alarms but he had never seen anything like Thursday’s fire.

The Animal Services Agency also responded, stated the news release, and is assisting with retrieving animals from suites.

Just after 7 p.m. plumes of black smoke could be seen across the city.

Fire officials gathered residents together around 8:30 p.m. to tell them it would be a while before they could return to their suites. They were advised to stay with friends, call their tenant insurance provider or stick around to ask for help from social services.

Wilkinson said it was too early to say what caused the fire but there was heavy damage primarily confined to the roof and HVAC equipment on the roof.

The news release said the building sustained extensive water damage and confirmed the elevator system was inoperable. Because of the damage, building residents were not able to return to their suites. Firefighters are assisting residents in retrieving essential items from their suites.

The City of Winnipeg’s Emergency Social Services (ESS) team also responded to the scene, stated the news release, to help displaced residents find temporary accommodations.

The building owner potentially had units in another building available for displaced tenants.

The damage cost is expected to be “significant.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.