WINNIPEG — Firefighters who battled a blaze at a new home in Transcona narrowly escaped being trapped when the fire “flashed over,” the firefighters’ union president says.
The blaze broke out at about 1:30 p.m. at 134 Ed Golding Bay, a large two-storey home in a development built in 2011. The fire started in the basement but within minutes had engulfed most of the house.
Alex Forrest, president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, said the fire grew so intense it ignited the toxic material in the smoke – a “flash over” that sees temperatures up to 1,000 C.
A similar fire in St. Boniface killed two Winnipeg fire captains in 2007.
Newer homes are built with highly flammable material, including particle board, Forrest said.
There were no injuries in this blaze.
A woman was in the house, having a shower, when the fire broke out but escaped, Forrest said.
Firefighters who arrived within minutes of being called entered the home but quickly backed out and fought the fire from the outside.
City records show the 2,300-square-foot home was built in 2011 and assessed in 2012 at $435,000.
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