Suspects sought in huge blaze

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This article was published 24/04/2016 (3813 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police are searching for two suspects spotted in the area just before a massive $4.5-million inferno destroyed three residential properties in Wolseley around 3:45 a.m. Saturday.

They’re conducting a second investigation into two garage fires that caused $80,000 damage on nearby Chestnut Street around the same time.

Police and fire investigators suspect they’re dealing with the same people in all the fires, Const. Rob Carver said Sunday.

“Currently, it’s two investigations. We’ve got two fires geographically close at the same time,” Carver said.

The Chestnut fires are being treated as arson, he said. As for the huge blaze at Westminster Avenue and Maryland Street, “We don’t have enough yet to say it’s arson.”

“It appears the fire started in the new construction. It appears the fire spread to the two other buildings.”

Four injured firefighters were all released from hospital Sunday while one of two sisters who live in one of the houses remained in hospital.

The blaze destroyed the 11-unit Flats on Westminster as well as adjacent older multi-storey houses on Maryland and Westminster.

The Flats on Westminster was scheduled to open this year with 11 units over four floors. A website for the development touted its proximity to a supermarket, the University of Winnipeg and Health Sciences Centre, but offered little additional information other than to provide a way to book an appointment. It was not immediately clear if the units were condominiums for sale or rental units

The real estate agent did not respond to interview requests Sunday.

Neda and Helen Procner barely survived the blaze — firefighters broke down a door to rescue them.

Trapped between flames on their front porch and on the wheelchair ramp in the rear, Neda Procner could only think of two things: she wasn’t going to leave her sister, who uses a wheelchair, and they were going to die.

That’s when Winnipeg firefighters sprayed water onto the roof over the front porch and a firefighter broke through their front door.

“The emergency staff were amazing,” Procner said Saturday, looking at her heavily damaged home of 21 years just hours after the ordeal.

She said the entire family in the other house — including a baby born a few months ago — also escaped before the structure was gutted.

Carver said it is difficult to tell if anyone broke through the heavy fencing around the construction site. “The fire was so intense, it actually melted the lights in the bus shack” at the corner. “Westminster United Church did sustain some damage — it did affect the church,” he said.

A church official who asked not to be named said Westminster United, directly across the street, had a main door scorched and plastic melted over stained glass windows and notice boards, but the stained glass windows were not damaged. They are very thankful there was not a strong wind blowing towards Westminster United, she said.

She said the house on Westminster was known locally as Raspberry Manor because of the colour of its trim and was a very old and familiar dwelling.

Carver said police were on alert in Wolseley Sunday night.

“We’ll certainly have it on our officers’ radar. We’ll have increased patrols,” he said.

Procner said she was asleep in her third-floor bedroom when she awoke to the sounds of “crackling noises” and saw an orange glow coming through the window.

When Procner made her way downstairs and looked out the back window, she saw an electrical panel on the house behind on fire and saw sparks and flames on the wooden wheelchair ramp outside. She ran to her sister’s first-floor bedroom.

“I told my sister — who was now up — we have to get out. I called 911 and said the house next door is on fire, and my sister is in a wheelchair. They said someone had already called and they were on their way.

“We went to the front door, but the front porch was in flames, so we couldn’t get out. That’s when I saw the firefighters show up.

“They couldn’t see us. I opened the (inner) door to call them, and so much smoke came in… I had to put my arm up over my nose. I looked around and couldn’t see my sister because of the smoke. Then they sprayed water over the roof of the porch.

“That’s when the firefighter broke through the door and yelled at me to get out. They pulled me out right away. I rushed across the road to a neighbour’s. I didn’t know if my sister was still alive. But they carried her out. “Her wheelchair is still in the house, melted.”

Procner, her sister and four firefighters were taken to hospital to be treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation. All were later listed in stable condition, and all but Helen Procner had been released by Sunday afternoon.

“She needs a place to go,” said her sister-in-law Linda Walker. She is staying in the hospital until a wheelchair and accessible accommodations can be arranged for her, Walker said. Health-wise, Helen is OK, she said. “She has a couple of scratches and burns.”

Winnipeg Fire District Chief Greg Cannell said the firefighters were injured rescuing the woman in the wheelchair and fighting the blaze.

Cannell said the unfinished condo was destroyed and they also consider the other two houses writeoffs.

He said the cause of the fire is considered suspicious, and it is being investigated by the arson unit.

— with files from Carol Sanders

nick.martin@freepress.mb.cakevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca