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Firefighters were sent to another blaze at a Winnipeg industrial site that’s caught fire multiple times since it was destroyed in 2023.
The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service was sent to a fire at the former Vulcan Iron Works site in Point Douglas at around 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, the city said in a release. It was declared under control about an hour later.
The fire is thought to have been accidentally caused by contractors working on the roof, the City of Winnipeg said.
The vacant, multi-storey structure on Sutherland Avenue between Maple Street North and Argyle Street North was gutted by a fire in July 2023 and has been the site of several other significant blazes since.
Fire crews used an aerial ladder truck and hand lines to douse flames coming out of the roof of the only portion of the building that remained intact Tuesday, the city said.
All the workers got out before firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported, the city said.
The city said Tuesday morning that firefighters had responded to seven fires on Monday night and early Tuesday.
“It was a huge strain in our system,” deputy fire chief Scott Wilkinson told reporters.
“We had seven fires, most of which in the same general area. We had the same crews going to repeat fires and a number of fires simultaneously. It [is a] huge demand on our crews, both physically and emotionally.”
A person was taken to hospital in critical condition after a fire at a home on the 300 block of Lock Street shortly before 8 p.m. Monday, the city said in a release. The house is believed to be a complete loss.
The other six fires involved vacant properties, the release said.
Those fires were all reported within hours of each other early Tuesday. The city said crews were sent to blazes at vacant homes on Powers Street and St. John’s, Boyd, Manitoba and Alexander avenues. The two latest fires, at about 1:50 a.m. and 3:20 a.m., were at the same property on the 1500 block of Alexander.
The vacant properties on the 600 block of Boyd and the 200 block of Powers had previously been damaged by fires, the city said.
“Unfortunately, a lot of these fires, particularly those involving vacant buildings, are still congregated in those areas: William Whyte, Daniel McIntyre and across the North End,” Wilkinson said.
“We’ve got great people working in the community and within the department to try and address that, but it’s still an ongoing issue.”
All seven of the Monday night and early Tuesday fires are under investigation.