‘The fireman grabbed me… and pulled me out’ Survivor recounts horror of losing granddaughter, cousin; within four minutes, small West End fire became fatal inferno By: Chris Kitching Posted: 6:22 PM CST Monday, Feb. 9, 2026

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This article was published 09/02/2026 (182 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two women who died in a West End house fire Saturday were remembered as loving and easy-going by a family member who was saved when firefighters pulled her through an open window.

Family said Tyana Nattaway, 18, and Crystal Loonfoot (née Beardy), 48, were found on the second floor of 365 Agnes St., just north of St. Matthews Avenue, while some survivors jumped out of windows to escape.

“We were all still sleeping. The fire was going really fast,” survivor Jane Flett, 62, told the Free Press Monday. “We didn’t have time to think about anything.”

She said 16 people were in the rented house — eight on the main floor and eight upstairs — including a one-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl. The fire was reported shortly after 9:40 a.m. Saturday.

Flett, who uses a wheelchair, got out of bed after she heard someone scream “fire.” She tried to escape through a small living room window but got stuck.

“I almost gave up. All of a sudden, the fireman grabbed me right here and pulled me out,” she said, gesturing to her right arm.

Pictures taken by a witness showed a small fire within the frame of a front porch window. The front of the home was engulfed in flames within four minutes, based on the images’ timestamps.

Video footage showed a man sitting on the edge of the porch’s roof, shrouded in black smoke just metres from flames, after climbing through a window. A second man stumbled into the street while firefighters, who just arrived, got hoses and a ladder from their truck.

Agnes Street resident Samantha Nykoluk brought jackets to the survivors after noticing them wearing little clothing in front of the burning house. Nattaway was trapped on the second floor.

“She was yelling, ‘Help me.’ Just the thought of it,” Nykoluk said, her voice trailing off. “She was trying to get out of the window.”

Nykoluk said a person who escaped the house had serious burns.

“Everybody was in shock,” she said.

Flett suspects the fire was deliberately set on the porch. She said she doesn’t know why someone would light a fire. Flett said the house had smoke alarms but she didn’t hear them sounding.

The Winnipeg Police Service’s major crimes unit is investigating. Detectives returned to the street Monday.

“The incident is under investigation, and police are working to determine whether arson is a factor,” WPS spokesman Const. Stephen Spencer said.

Police asked anyone with information to call detectives at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS).

Paramedics assessed seven victims at the scene. Nattaway and Loonfoot were pronounced dead after being taken to hospital in critical condition.

A third person was upgraded from critical to stable condition. Two others, both stable, were treated in hospital. Two people did not require transport to hospital.

Flett said Nattaway, her granddaughter, graduated from high school last year and was taking time off before she planned to further her education. Flett encouraged Nattaway to pursue a career as a counsellor.

“She was a really good, kind girl. She was helpful to everybody,” Flett said.

Loonfoot was a mother and grandmother. She was Flett’s cousin.

“She was kind and friendly, also loving,” Flett said. “They were both so happy and fun to be around with.”

Dorothy Hastings visited the scene on Agnes after learning her niece, Loonfoot, died in the fire.

“I haven’t slept yet. I see her every time I close my eyes,” Hastings said.

Both victims were members of Garden Hill Anisininew Nation in northern Manitoba.

Flett said the Canadian Red Cross is providing support to the survivors, including hotel rooms and funds to cover the cost of clothes and other essentials. They were scheduled to check out Tuesday.

“I don’t know where we’re going to go,” Flett said.

Nykoluk has been contacting organizations to seek help for the survivors.

“I’m really worried about them,” she said. “It’s just a really sad and unfortunate situation.”

A Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service spokesperson said close to 50 firefighters and paramedics were at the scene within the first hour of the response.

“Any time there is a loss of life, that is just indescribable. Our thoughts are with those that are impacted,” United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg president Nick Kasper said of Saturday’s blaze.

Two neighbouring homes were evacuated as a precaution while firefighters battled the fire. Sayed Abdalhamed, who owns a duplex next door, saw bright flames through his window after he was awakened by noise.

“I was scared, you know? I hope for them, everything will be OK,” he said of his neighbours.

Abdalhamed returned Saturday night to find some fire-related damage to his home, including water in his basement.

Mourners attached tributes to the victims on a wooden fence in front of the house. A white poster with Nattaway’s name was adorned with plastic flowers.

“I love you forever, sweet girl,” said a message on the poster.

Amanda O’Soup, who didn’t know the family, left an offering of tobacco.

“It’s respect to the people who lost their lives, and to help them on their journey,” she said.

Four people have died in house fires in Winnipeg in less than three months. An 18-year-old man died after a fire on the 200 block of Yale Avenue in Transcona Nov. 15. Local comedian Clayton T. Stewart, 45, was killed in a blaze on the 700 block of Nassau Street Dec. 29.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca