City tells court it isn’t responsible for man’s death in fire

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This article was published 07/07/2025 (445 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The City of Winnipeg says a 45-year-old man didn’t tell a 911 operator he was suicidal in 2022, and a lawsuit launched by his family after he died in a house fire — which he started — should be thrown out.

The city issued the denial in court filings in response to a lawsuit filed by the family of Daniel Fraser Rentz in late 2024. They allege the 911 call he made ahead of the Nov. 6, 2022, fire wasn’t treated with the urgency it demanded.

The lawsuit names the city and a 911 operator as defendants. The city’s statement of defence, filed earlier this year, says neither can be held liable and the lawsuit should be dismissed.

The family claims Rentz, who suffered from methamphetamine psychosis, told the operator he was suicidal — something the city says did not happen.

“The defendants state that at no time did Rentz inform (the 911 operator) that he was suffering from any suicidal ideation or that he required emergency medical health assistance,” read the city’s court papers. “Rentz did not inform (the operator) that he was going to kill himself.”

The city’s statement says Rentz made the call at about 11:44 p.m. — about an hour and 15 minutes before the fire was spotted by police who were passing by — and was on the phone with the operator for about two minutes before he hung up.

The statement of defence asserts the 911 operator carried out her duties in good faith and can’t be held liable under provincial legislation.

“The defendants are excluded from liability pursuant to… the Emergency Public Safety Answering Point Act,” the city asserts.

Patrolling Winnipeg police officers spotted the fire at 792 Logan Ave., around 1 a.m.

The officers helped a 69-year-old woman escape from the home before firefighters arrived, but were pushed back by flames and smoke when they tried to find Rentz.

The cause of the fire was not made public, but the family’s lawsuit claims Rentz had used gasoline to set “an explosion and attendant fire” in the basement after padlocking the door.

The family’s court papers claim Rentz, who had suffered recent suicidal ideation, had phoned 911 to say he was “suffering suicidal ideation and required emergency mental health assistance.”

The lawsuit claims Rentz told the operator he planned to kill himself.

The family seeks authorized benefits under the Fatal Accidents Act, consisting of $30,000 apiece to Rentz’s mother and father, and $10,000 to each of his three siblings. It wants special damages, including funeral costs, as well as court costs from the city.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca