House goes up in flames for third time

A vacant home in the Centennial neighbourhood is a total loss after its third fire in two years.

A two-story house in the 400 block of Elgin Avenue sits empty after its first fire in April 2019 and second in January 2020. On Thursday, just after midnight, the home, already damaged from previous fires, caught fire for a third time.

"When crews arrived on scene, they encountered a well-involved fire," the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) says in a statement. 

They saw heavy flames and smoke pouring out of the home, which the WFPS says in combination with previous damage, mean a defensive attack with aerial water streams was needed.

Neighbouring homes were evacuated and its residents have since returned.

An hour later at 1:33 a.m., crews had knocked down most of the fire, extinguishing hot spots.

"The cause of the fire is under investigation. No damage estimates are currently available, but the building is considered to be a complete loss."

There were no injuries.

While house fires, and the same house catching fire more than once, are uncommon, another home in the same block also saw repeat fires just shy of one week and one year ago.