A residential fire is always a scary and dangerous thing, people might get hurt or killed, especially children and elderly citizens since they are not able to react fast and evacuate the building by themselves.
Around 30 people were forced out of an apartment building in the 400 block of Hamilton Avenue Wednesday after the fire broke out in a suite. The city said crews responded to the fire on the main floor at 5:42 p.m., and it was brought under control at 6:03 p.m.
One person who was in the suite where the fire started was able to escape on their own, but the city said crews had to help 30 other people make their way out of the building through heavy smoke. Thankfully, nobody was injured and everyone evacuated the building safely.
One suite suffered fire, smoke and water damage, while the four others suffered significant water damage. The property manager was able to relocate everyone affected.
A Winnipeg Fire Department started an investigation to determine the reason for a fire, the official statement will be released after the investigation is closed. Also, there are no damage estimates released yet, but the damage was quite substantial, as per firefighters that were working on the scene.
The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service reminds smokers to take care when disposing of cigarettes or other smoking materials, ensuring all butts and ash are out by soaking them with water before throwing them away.
Unfortunately, residential fires in Winnipeg happen quite often, and in most cases, the fire caused by careless residents, who in many cases were smoking, drinking or under drug influence at a time of incidents.