Cat dead, three homes damaged by morning fire in Winnipeg

Stubborn fire damages three Winnipeg homes Jeff Keele reports on a fire that severely damaged a number of homes in a Winnipeg neighbourhood.

Three homes have been damaged after a fire broke out Wednesday morning in the Glenelm neighbourhood.

The city said fire crews were called to a home on Cobourg Avenue around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday.

Crews found a two-storey home on fire, which had extended to two neighbouring homes and a garage at the back of the property.

Firefighters could not enter the house where the fire started originally, switching to a defensive attack until conditions improved.

The city said a cat was found dead inside the home.

Crews could get into the garage and one of the other homes to extinguish the blazes there. However, the other home started to deteriorate and a ladder truck was needed to fight the fire.

Acting District Chief Darren Bayluk said this was a difficult fire to fight.

"We're fighting a very stubborn fire today because of the design of the home," said Bayluk. "It's been added on to, there's several different add-ons to the roof area, which is causing problems for us gaining access to where we actually have fire."

Everyone was able to get out of their homes safely. One person was treated by paramedics on the scene as well as a firefighter. Neither needed to be taken to hospital.

Two of the homes suffered significant damage, while the third house and the garage only had moderate damage.

Bayluk said it isn't known what started the fire and crews are investigating the cause.