Firefighters responded to a fire at a hotel in central Winnipeg just after 7 p.m. Saturday, quickly bringing flames under control that had been largely knocked down by the building’s sprinkler system before their arrival.
Everyone in the building, in the 700 block of Main Street, was able to get out before crews arrived. Paramedics assessed on person, who was taken to hospital in unstable condition.
Four and a half hours later, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to second call on Main Street. Crews found heavy smoke at the building in the 1200 block when they arrived at 11:57 p.m. The occupants of the building had already evacuated.
Firefighters deemed the building unsafe to enter and took a defensive approach, bringing the flames under control an hour-and-a-half later, around 1:30 a.m.
Residents are asked to exercise caution in the area, as water used to fight the fire has frozen and created slippery conditions.
Both fires remain under investigation.