City demolishes vacant home plagued by fires

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This article was published 17/08/2024 (385 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The city demolished a vacant North End home Saturday after it was damaged by fire the night before — the third blaze at the property in two years.

The vacant home in the 600 block of Stella Avenue suffered significant damage in the Friday night fire and an emergency demolition was ordered, a city news release said Saturday morning.

By Saturday afternoon, the home had been levelled.

It was the third fire at the property since 2022. The house was previously damaged by fires in May 2024 and August 2022.

At 9:40 p.m. Friday, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service was called to the Stella property and found heavy smoke and flames coming from the structure, the release said.

The fire was declared under control over two hours later.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Vacant-property fires in Winnipeg are occurring at a record-breaking pace this year.

As of June 30, the WFPS had responded to 114 blazes at vacant properties, city numbers show. In all of 2023, there were 156 such fires, the most on record in one year.

The pressure vacant-building fires is putting on city crews has prompted emergency responders to turn down overtime pay to look after their physical and mental health, Tom Bilous, president of the United Firefighters of Winnipeg, told the Free Press last month.

City leaders have acknowledged root causes of vacant-building fires are socioeconomic issues that lead homeless and vulnerable people to shelter in the buildings.

The city advises residents to call 911 if they witness anyone trying to enter a vacant building. It also requests residents call 311 if they see boarded windows or doors breached.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca