News briefs for Thursday, January 22, 2026

Fire crews spend hours battling West St. Paul house fire

5:26 PM

Firefighters from West St. Paul spent hours Thursday battling a blaze inside a two-storey home, with the public asked to avoid the area as crews worked into the evening.

The West St. Paul Fire Department was alerted to a structure fire on the 800 block of Rossmore Avenue shortly before 10 a.m., and arrived to find the home engulfed in flames, it said in a news release later that day.

Two people self-evacuated from the home before firefighters arrived. Fire crews battled the flames with a defensive attack, and the incident remained active as of 5 p.m., the release said.

Paramedics from the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service were also dispatched to provide support. They assessed two patients, neither of whom required transportation to the hospital, a WFPS spokesperson said.

Additional equipment and personnel from the St. Andrews Fire Department and the East St. Paul Fire Department assisted on scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, and no injuries were reported, the West St. Paul Fire Department said.

Man dies in workplace accident near Hamiota

12:07 PM

A 55-year-old man died Wednesday after a workplace accident at a construction site east of Hamiota, Manitoba RCMP said in a news release Thursday.

Mounties and local firefighters responded to the incident just after 1 p.m., after receiving a report that the driver of a skid steer accidentally backed the machine into a deep hole that had been dug, RCMP said.

The victim was confirmed dead at the scene.

RCMP and Manitoba Workplace Health and Safety are investigating, police said.

The man is the second person to die in a workplace accident in Manitoba in recent weeks. A 42-year-old man died after being pulled into machinery at a manufacturing factory in the Rhineland Industrial Park north of Altona on Jan. 15.

The Labour Program is leading the investigation into that incident because it occurred at a federally regulated facility. A spokesperson for Employment and Social Development Canada confirmed the accident occurred at Buffalo Creek Mills, a local oat manufacturing facility. 

Man arrested after two people stabbed at Winnipeg Walmart

10:50 AM

City police have a suspect in custody after two people were stabbed during a fight at a Walmart supercentre on Empress Street Wednesday night.

Officers responded to reports of the stabbing in the 1000 block of Empress Street and found two men with injuries who required hospitalization. Both are currently listed in stable condition, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Thursday.

Investigators learned a man had entered the department store around 6:10 p.m. and allegedly concealed several items of clothing underneath his jacket. As the man was leaving the store, he spotted two men, aged 34 and 41, who were previously known to him, police said.

The encounter sparked a verbal dispute, and the suspect grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher and sprayed the two men before emptying the remainder of the extinguisher about the store. The fight spilled into the parking lot and escalated when somebody produced a knife. The two men were stabbed, and the suspect fled in a vehicle.

At 11:13 p.m., patrolling officers spotted the suspect’s vehicle near Alfred Avenue and Salter Street and conducted a traffic stop. They arrested the man and seized a knife, WPS said.

A 27-year-old man is charged with aggravated assault, two counts of assault with a weapon, mischief over $5,000 and theft under $5,000.

Police continue to investigate, and have asked anyone with information, including video footage, to contact the major crimes unit at at 204-986-6219 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers 204-786-TIPS or online.

Bombers re-sign Jefferson

9:19 AM

Willie Jefferson isn’t going anywhere.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers re-signed their star defensive end on Thursday to a one-year contract extension. He was scheduled to become a free agent in February.

Jefferson, who initially joined the Bombers in 2019, registered 15 defensive tackles, three quarterback sacks, one forced fumble and a league-best 16 pass knockdowns in 2025.

His 16 knockdowns tied his own franchise record set in 2019 and is the third most in CFL history.

With Jefferson inked, that leaves left tackle Stanley Bryant as the biggest name on the club’s pending free agent list.

Vacant house burns on Pritchard Avenue

8:23 AM

Fire crews battled a fire in a vacant house in North Point Douglas on Wednesday evening.

At 8:08 p.m., the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to reports of a fire in a vacant, two-storey duplex in the 200 block of Pritchard Avenue.

When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the building. They entered and launched an interior fire attack, declaring the fire under control at 8:50 p.m.

Crews searched the structure but no occupants were found. There were no injuries reported.

The fire is under investigation. Damage estimates are not available.