A Thursday morning fire at a West End home is now extinguished following a three-hour attack by Winnipeg firefighters. According to the City of Winnipeg, firefighters responded to the blaze at a vacant house in the 500 block of Sherbrook Street just before 6 a.m. When crews got to the scene, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the home, which prompted an exterior attack using aerial ladder trucks. The fire was declared under control by 8:55 a.m. “It was fully engulfed when crews showed up so it was coming out of every window,” said Brian McCorriston, district chief of fire operations with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service. “[The windows] were boarded up, so it was smoke and flames out of all the openings that were boarded up. A nearby home was evacuated as a precaution, and a Winnipeg Transit bus was used as a temporary shelter for displaced residents. No one was hurt and the fire is under investigation. There are no damage estimates available at this time. The city reminds residents to call 911 if you see someone entering a vacant building. If you don’t see someone actively trying to get inside but notice boarded windows or doors that have been breached, contact 311.
