Troubled inner-city property hit by fire

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This article was published 04/09/2024 (403 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Traffic was rerouted on Balmoral Street in inner-city Winnipeg Wednesday evening as firefighters battled a blaze in the Centre Village complex.

Black smoke poured from the south roof of the building and blanketed downtown as multiple fire trucks staged around the building shortly before 8 p.m.

The 25-unit complex was considered revolutionary when it opened in 2010 to house newcomers, but residents found it ill-suited to family life. It was boarded up 12 years later and had become a magnet for squatters and drug use while politicians grappled with what to do with the structure.

In May, it was announced Manitoba Housing had donated the site to the non-profit Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corp, which would receive $2.2 million to demolish it and build 30 new units for two key groups: Indigenous youth and young adults who are leaving the child welfare system and expectant parents at risk of being involved with the system.

The complex had fencing around it but there were breaches in several places Wednesday. As firefighters set up to battle the blaze, a young women exited the complex through a gap in the fence; she was questioned by police.

Police blocked Balmoral Street between Sargent and Cumberland avenues while firefighting efforts were underway.