It was a busy first half of the week for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, which responded to four structure fires around the city. The first fire broke out around 5:18 p.m. on Tuesday at a vacant home in the 800 block of Stella Avenue. Once at the scene, fire crews found smoke and flames coming from the home. Firefighters then attacked the flames and declared the blaze under control by 7:10 p.m. While crews were responding to this incident, they noticed another fire at a different property on Stella Avenue and contacted the 911 Communications Centre. By 5:50 p.m., the second fire was extinguished. The fires continued into Wednesday morning when the WFPS was called to a blaze at a house in the 800 block of Alverstone Street just before 8:30 a.m. Firefighters found heavy black smoke coming from the home, launched an attack and got the fire under control by 9:15 a.m. The City of Winnipeg’s emergency social services team came to the scene to provide temporary support for displaced residents. The final fire broke out around 11 a.m. on Wednesday at a home in the 0-100 block of Renfrew Street. Once at the scene, crews found light smoke coming from the home. The fire was extinguished just before noon. According to the city, preliminary observations indicate the fire was caused because of the stove. No one was injured in any of the four fires which are under investigation. The city is reminding Winnipeggers to avoid kitchen fires by never leaving anything that can catch fire near the stove, never leaving the kitchen when you’re cooking something on the stovetop, setting a timer when baking, and having working smoke alarms. It also reminds residents to call 911 if they see someone entering a vacant building.
