One home is expected to be a total loss while another was damaged in a fire on Southwalk Bay Sunday evening, Winnipeg firefighters say.
Fire crews, who arrived at the scene just after 7:30 p.m., had the blaze under control within two hours.
A firefighter was injured in the incident but didn’t need to be taken to hospital, and a neighbouring home was evacuated as a precaution.
The fire was made worse by slow response times, according to the union representing Winnipeg firefighters.
Nick Kasper, president of United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg (UFFW), said the fire engine that serves that neighbourhood was busy elsewhere at the time, so another one had to be called in from another station, slowing the whole process down.
Kasper said Winnipeg fire crews often arrive at the scene eight minutes after they’re called — which may seem like a quick response, but is actually double the recommended response time, he said, and two minutes longer than the national average.
“A fire, on average, doubles in size every minute,” he said.
“It’s imperative that trucks are there within four minutes or less to be able to commence a fire attack and get that fire under control before it spreads.”
The delay in Sunday’s incident, Kasper said, may have contributed to the blaze spreading to a second house.
“By that time when they got there, the house was already well-involved, and spreading to a neighbouring house. Firefighters were forced to remain in a defensive mode — meaning fighting the fire from outside.
“As a result, we have one home is a total loss and the other sustained significant damage.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.