Downtown Winnipeg apartment building evacuated after water damage

The City of Winnipeg says hundreds of residents were without power early Wednesday at a downtown apartment building.

The city says firefighters got the call around 7:40 p.m. on Tuesday to begin evacuating a 21-storey residential building in the first hundred block of Garry Street.

The impacted building is 70 Garry Street, known as the Fort Garry Tower.

A resident said the flooding happened earlier that day at about 3 a.m. and the power went out about half an hour later.

City crews say recent water damage caused a loss in both primary and secondary power sources, and the building quickly lost heat.

The city’s Emergency Social Services team is on the scene to help everyone find temporary living arrangements until the building is safe to enter again.

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No one was hurt.

Timbercreek Communities, which owns the building, sent out the following statement:

“Yesterday, there was an extensive flood at the building located at 70 Garry Street otherwise known as the Fort Garry Tower. Due to the nature of the incident, an evacuation order was issued to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents. We are currently assessing the extent of the damage and the necessary steps that will be required for our residents to safely return to their homes.

“Timbercreek takes the utmost care to ensure the safety and security of our residents and we are working hard to address the issues and return residents to their homes as quickly as possible. Timbercreek will be providing updates as we learn more information.”