Man, 18, dies after Transcona fire

An 18-year-old man has died of his injuries after a house fire broke out Saturday in Transcona.

“Our members give everything they have to this job and moments like this weigh heavily on all of us,” a social media post written by the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg said Monday evening.

The post noted media reports identified the victim as Jason Ireland.

Firefighters were sent to 214 Yale Ave. West at 7:28 a.m. Saturday. They battled heavy smoke and flames from the one-and-a-half storey house until the fire was under control 45 minutes later.

Three of the people inside the house escaped before crews arrived but one needed to be carried out by firefighters, a neighbour said. Four people were taken to hospital, with one in critical condition, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service previously stated.

“We ask that Winnipeg please keep Jason’s mother, siblings, friends and the entire Ireland family in your thoughts as they navigate this unimaginable loss,” the post continued.

A neighbour told the Free Press over the weekend she believes the four are all boys, ages 18, 14, eight and four.

Investigators from the Winnipeg Police Service major crimes unit are investigating, a news release said. A police spokesperson said that is standard procedure in probing a fatal fire.

No charges have been laid.