‘Could have went south’: Winnipeg firefighters deal with non-working hydrant while battling garage fire

Viewer video shows firefighters hooking up a hose to a hydrant to battle a garage fire on Woodward Avenue on Nov. 18, 2025.

The union representing firefighters in Winnipeg said a garage fire on Monday could’ve ended up worse due to a hydrant not working correctly.

Crews were called to Woodward Avenue shortly after midnight on Monday for a garage fire. When firefighters arrived, they began fighting the fire with the water on board the truck.

While this was going on, other crews were working to connect to a nearby hydrant to help battle the blaze. TJ Belluk, the vice-president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg (UFFW), said when officers tried to connect with two hydrants in the area, they weren’t able to work.

Video from the scene captured by Brian Clyne shows firefighters battling the blaze. Clyne told CTV News that he heard firefighters yelling and saying the hydrants are not working, and then being told to go find one. Clyne said a working hydrant was ultimately found on Brandon Avenue and Osborne Street.

“Several crews had responded, and so they had extra crews helping them drag a hose to hook up,” Belluk said. “Luckily, it was contained, mostly to the exterior, so they were able to extinguish a fire.”

The City of Winnipeg said no injuries were reported from the fire.

Belluk said the situation was concerning.

“We need to take care of our infrastructure,” he said. “This could have went south so many ways if that had been an occupancy address.”

Belluk said the city needs to assess its infrastructure to avoid situations like this.

“If we’re going to have these additional communities and everything else that puts a strain on the taxpayer, the infrastructure needs to be maintained as well,” he said.

In a statement, a City of Winnipeg spokesperson said there are approximately 23,500 hydrants in Winnipeg, and Water and Waste crews attend within a day to inspect the hydrant if issues are discovered.

The spokesperson said the city inspects every hydrant for issues at least twice a year. Currently, six hydrants in the city are out of service.