Apartment building owner seeks $25M over Stradbrook Avenue fire

The owners of a high-rise in Osborne Village that caught fire and forced 200 people from their homes are filing a lawsuit against several companies.

The owner of a high-rise apartment building that caught fire two years ago is seeking $25 million in damages, alleging that a contractor’s cord and batteries played a role in setting the blaze, according to a filing in Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench.

In a statement of claim filed on Aug. 14, East Village Holdings Inc. alleges the August 2023 fire started on the rooftop of the apartment building at 221 Stradbrook Ave., which was leased to Rogers Communications for the installation of telecommunication equipment.

The filing said that several contractors working on behalf of Rogers Communications transported materials and equipment to the rooftop, including batteries, and ran an extension cord to provide electricity.

The statement of claim alleges the fire damaged the rooftop water-protection system and that the building sustained smoke and water damage throughout as firefighters extinguished the blaze.

Rainfall after the fire is also alleged to have caused further water damage to the building until the rooftop water-protection system could be restored. The damage subsequently required tenants to vacate the building until their units were repaired, according to the statement of claim.

The court filing alleges that Rogers Communications owed a “duty of care in all aspects of the project and its use of the leased premises,” including the choice of materials, supplies, contractors and supervision.

In a statement, a Rogers spokesperson said the company will be filing a statement of defence in due course.

“We recognize the challenges faced by those impacted by the fire at 221 Stradbrook Avenue in 2023,” the spokesperson said. “While the cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, we’re aware third-party contractors had been on-site to start preparations for enhancing wireless coverage for residents and emergency responders within the community, as mutually agreed by the landlord.”

The fire, which began around 7 p.m., was declared under control approximately 45 minutes later after firefighters made their way to the roof and used the building’s fire suppression system, according to a Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service news release.

The news release said some residents were evacuated by firefighters, with one tenant and one firefighter being transported to hospital. The building sustained “extensive water damage,” according to the release, which left the elevator system inoperable.

None of the claims have been tested in court.