Fire ‘big as the trees’: three sent to hospital after blazes

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This article was published 26/06/2024 (462 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three people are in critical condition after two fires in the Tyndall Park and William Whyte neighbourhoods early Wednesday.

Crews were sent to a fire in a two-storey townhouse apartment building in Tyndall Gardens at 820 Keewatin St. at 3:31 a.m.

Firefighters rescued two residents trapped inside and helped eight people out of the building.

The pair who were trapped inside were rushed to hospital in critical condition.

A Winnipeg Transit bus was on scene to provide shelter for residents. The city’s social services team was also deployed to help displaced residents find temporary accommodations.

The fire was declared under control at 4:39 a.m., the WFPS said.

Nina and Carlos Santiago had to flee from their upper-level townhouse with their 11-year-old son after fire alarms rang through the complex in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Six hours after the fire was reported, the smell of smoke was still strong in the area.

“The fire was big as the trees, you could see it from here,” Carlos said, gesturing to his roof.

The couple said they saw ambulances bring a stretcher. They don’t know the tenants well. Both said they worried the fire was set intentionally — they said a sofa was left outdoors in front of the home that went up in flames, and both said they feared someone had set it on fire and it had spread.

“We (heard) that the guys from the (neighbouring gas station) Esso saw someone run toward the Esso before the fire started,” Carlos said.

Just the burnt springs on the couch were left in the rubble Wednesday morning.

“We were all shocked … it was in the middle of the night, everyone was asleep,” Nina said.

The WFPS couldn’t provide any details on the cause of the fire, noting it is still under investigation.

Crews were also sent to a fire at a one-storey house on the 500 block of Magnus Avenue early Wednesday.

Firefighters arrived on scene at 4:19 a.m. and rescued a person trapped inside the home, the WFPS said.

Crews declared the fire, which had spread to a neighbouring home, under control at 5:49 a.m.

One person was rushed to hospital in critical condition, while another person was in unstable condition, the WFPS said.

The cause of the fire is currently being investigated.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca