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Portage Avenue fire forces ladder rescue of elderly Winnipeg man

A fire at the Park West Apartments caused $1 million damage, fire officials say. Rudi Pawlychyn / Global News

WINNIPEG – Firefighters used a ladder truck to rescue an elderly man from a St. James apartment block during a blaze Thursday night, a witness says.

Firefighters evacuated the Park West Apartments after they were called to fight a blaze in a seventh-floor suite at about 11 p.m.

Flames shot out of the back windows of the building at 2366 Portage Ave., a resident told Global News.

He saw firefighters use a ladder truck to remove a man in a wheelchair from his suite, said the witness, who didn’t give his name. He believes the elderly resident is 93 years old.

Firefighters quickly got the flames under control and no one was seriously injured, although some residents were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, police said.

Fire officials estimate damages at roughly $1 million, including extensive water damage.

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— With files from Rudi Pawlychyn

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