WINNIPEG – A massive fire leveled a three storey apartment complex on Waverley Street at John Angus in South Pointe early Thursday morning. Surrounding homes were evacuated and some were left with cracks on their windows from the intense heat.
“We felt the heat through our window,” Asit Dey said. “It was so scary I almost cried.”
The blaze started around 2:30 a.m. at 2475 Waverley Street. The building was under construction at the time when the fire broke out. Damage is estimated to be around 3.5 million dollars.
Fire crews battled the flames for several hours. Around 50 firefighters were dispatched.
“It started so quickly, because it was all exposed wood,” fire chief Tom Mulvenna said. “There was nothing to stop it. Once it started, it just kept going.”
Mulvenna said it was a tough battle because the flames spread so quickly. “Just think of a fire in the backyard, and think of the whole yard being a bonfire,” Mulvenna said. “You can’t actually go and fight it you have to stay back and put water on it, so it just takes a while.”
Emergency crews and police closed off traffic in the area for several hours. Residents were able to return to their homes late Thursday morning. There were no injuries, and there is no word on how the blaze started. An investigation is underway.
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Seymour Pacific Develpments sent out a news release Thursday afternoon, acknowledging the fire at South Pointe Terrace. “We are thankful for the quick response from the Winnipeg Fire Department,” said Seymour Pacific’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive VP Kris D. Mailman. “Although this is a setback for our completion date we anticipate we will be starting to build on the other two unaffected buildings as soon as the investigation clearance is complete.”
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