Emergency demolition set for North Point Douglas house after early Sunday morning fire

The smell of smoke was thick in Winnipeg's North Point Douglas neighbourhood Sunday morning as firefighters battled the billowing flames at a vacant two-storey house. 

Crews were called to the scene on Austin Street between Selkirk and Lisgar Avenues around 6:20 a.m., a news release from the Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service said.

A group of firefighters and up to 20 emergency vehicles, including an aerial ladder, were on site to attack the flames shooting from the upper level of the building's exterior. Firefighters worked in rotation so they could take breaks from the freezing temperatures outside, the release said. 

WATCH | North Point Douglas rooming house to be demolished after Sunday morning fire:

North Point Douglas rooming house to be demolished Sunday after early morning fire

9 hours ago

Duration 1:16

Crews doused flames on a rooming house on Austin Street Sunday morning, the second fire there in the past year.

There were no injuries reported at the scene, but the house sustained significant smoke, fire and water damage. 

The building had also caught on fire at least once before in 2024, Nick Kasper, president of the union representing Winnipeg firefighters, told CBC. 

"This is not a surprise and it's becoming a regular occurrence," he said. "These vacant structures are continuing to stand, they're continuing to be targeted."

The number of fires in vacant structures has risen at an exponential rate in recent years. Over the last decade, Kasper said, crews have gone from responding to one fire at a vacant building every month, to nearly 20 per month on average last year. 

"Obviously, there are no signs of slowing down in 2025," he said, with at least seven other vacant structures catching on fire so far in January, including a major blaze at the Sutherland Hotel Wednesday.

Fires at vacant properties are highly hazardous for crews, especially on those properties that have already burnt in the past, Kasper said. 

At least three firefighters have fallen through the floor while fighting vacant building fires this year, he said, keeping the first responders off the job while they recover from injuries.

"We're hoping for some changes sooner rather than later so that we can get some reprieve here," Kasper said. 

WATCH | Fire crews battle flames at Winnipeg rooming house:

Crews respond to rooming house fire on Austin Street

13 hours ago

Duration 0:31

Heavy smoke billows from the upper level of a rooming house on fire Sunday morning on Austin Street near Selkirk Avenue. Firefighters were called to the scene around 6:20 a.m.

Crews will be arranging an emergency demolition at the Austin Street building due to structural concerns and to ensure all of the hot spots have been extinguished, the release said. People should expect road closures in the area until the demolition is complete. 

Residents nearby should also be cautious as water used to fight the fire has frozen, creating slippery conditions. Crews will be applying sand and other de-icing methods to improve traction on sidewalks and roadways. 

Firefighters were also called to put out a fire at this location in March where previous residents at the home were able to self-evacuate before fire crews arrived. No injuries were reported during the fire. 

At a building at the same address in 2011, five people died as a result of another fire.

The City of Winnipeg reminds people to report incidents where boarded windows or doors have been breached to 311 by phone or online. People can call 911 if they see someone actively entering a vacant building or removing boards from windows or doors.