Fire crews rescue person from burning high-rise Friday morning

Firefighters rescued a person from a burning high-rise apartment building Friday morning.

Crews responded to fire alarms at the eight-storey structure on Hendon Avenue just before 5 a.m. and located the person inside a burning suite where the blaze originated. They rescued the individual and paramedics treated them on scene, before they were transported to hospital in unstable condition, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said in a news release.

Crews fought the flames from inside the building, and brought the fire under control shortly before 5:30 a.m. Damage from the incident was largely contained to the affected suite. Some residents self-evacuated, while others sheltered in place. No other injuries were reported, WFPS said.

Earlier that morning, at 2:22 a.m., crews responded to a fire in a single-storey commercial building on the 700 block of Dufferin Avenue. They encountered smoke coming from the building and fought the fire from inside, declaring it under control at 3:44 a.m. A search of the building revealed no occupants and no injuries were reported, WFPS said.

Both incidents remain under investigation.