Winnipeg family forced out of home Friday after fire on Pritchard Avenue

John Donovan’s alarm had just gone off when he heard a knock at his door.

“The neighbour woke me up at about 7:15, we came outside and the house next door was on fire. By the time I got me, my wife and our six kids out of the house, our house started on fire.”

Fire crews got the call and bolted to the 200 block of Pritchard Avenue, just east of Charles Street, and spent hours trying to knock down the blaze in bitterly cold conditions.

“Some of the crews have to be relieved, thaw out, masks are freezing up, that sort of thing,” explained Ihor Holowczynsky, Assistant Chief of Fire Rescue Operations. “We have to work as fast as we can. Cold air is dense, there’s a lot more oxygen available to burn. If it gains any headway, it’s difficult to fight.”

VIEW images of the fire:

Donovan spent the morning with his wife watching crews fight the flames, coffee in hand, unable to see his house through a thick cloud of smoke and vapour.

“We’re just waiting to see what unfolds,” Donovan said.

“Where am I going to live with six kids and a wife? I’m kind of at a loss because I don’t know what the severity is right now. I guess time will tell.”

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Donovan said his kids are staying with relatives. Flames could be seen spitting out the top floor of the house next to his, the house where the fire originated.

“The fire was well-involved upon arrival, we had to move to defensive operations with confirmation that all residents had left,” Holowczynsky said.

“Everyone got out safely, we had six people in the house involved, no injuries, thankfully. The building next door was damaged by flame and heat, no injuries there also.”

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Exactly how much damage was caused and what the source of the fire was have yet to be determined.

A family friend has set up a gofundme campaign to help the Donovans.

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