Pair of weekend fires rip through Manitoba housing complexes

Multiple fire departments were called to help battle a blaze that destroyed a multi-suite building in a Manitoba community over the weekend.

Firefighters in Manitoba worked through the night battling two stubborn fires that displaced residents and sent one to hospital.

The first fire broke out in Dauphin, Man., on Friday night.

Crews were called at around 6:45 p.m. to a report of smoke in an apartment building in the 1100 block of Main Street South.

Residents were able to safely evacuate before crews arrived, the department said. One person was taken to hospital as a precaution for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were also able to rescue two pets.

The fire appeared to have been accidental and related to unattended cooking in an apartment on the main floor, the department said.

“By the time firefighters made entry into the apartment and began to extinguish the fire, flames had already spread to the second floor and the roof assembly,” the fire department wrote in a social media post.

“Due to the deteriorating building conditions, firefighters withdrew from the building for safety reasons and fought the blaze from the exterior on a defensive strategy.”

From there, crews worked through the night trying to extinguish the flames, with backup from the Gilbert Plains Fire Department brought in to give firefighters a break.

The city supplied heavy equipment at around 5 a.m. to gain access through an exterior wall, as the roof was at risk of collapsing, making it unsafe for firefighters to go back inside.

The fire was finally declared under control at around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.

A damage estimate was not yet available.

‘A moment of our community coming together’

Meanwhile, multiple fire departments also rushed to help put out a persistent fire at a housing complex in Beausejour, Man. over the weekend.

The Beausejour Brokenhead Fire Department was called just after 10:30 p.m. on Saturday for a report of a structure fire on Park Avenue.

According to the department, crews arrived to find flames ripping through the multi-suite building.

Backup was called in from the East Selkirk Fire Department. As the night turned into early morning, more crews from Springfield and Lac du Bonnet joined as well, giving firefighters a chance to rest.

The fire was finally brought under control at around 6:30 a.m.

However, a small flare-up broke out about 15 minutes later, and firefighters returned to put it out.

According to the fire department, Beausejour Mayor Ray Schirle also jumped in to help shuttle evacuated families and take air tanks to the fire hall for refilling.

“It was truly a moment of our community coming together and helping out when called,” the department wrote in a social media post.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support we as a fire department always receive from the incredible businesses and community members in both the Town of Beausejour and RM of Brokenhead.”

There’s no word yet on what started the fire.

The Red Cross has been activated to help those displaced, the fire department said.