Safety concerns sparked complaints about accused arsonist in deadly downtown fire

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This article was published 03/01/2023 (721 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The behaviour of a man accused of starting a fire that killed two people and injured four others concerned at least one resident of the downtown apartment block in the months preceding the the Christmas Day tragedy.

Michael Guibeault, 36, was one of the 42 residents of the Warwick Apartments Manitoba Housing complex Qu’Appelle Avenue and Carlton Street who was displaced by the blaze.

Winnipeg Police Service homicide investigators have accused Ethan Powderhorn, 26, of two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Roger Glen Doblej and Suzanne Helen McCooeye.

Guibeault said he marked Powderhorn as a troublemaker after he moved in less than a year ago.

“My feeling was, ‘Oh no, there’s trouble,’” he said Wednesday at the downtown hotel he’s staying in. Provincial officials have found temporary housing for the residents.

Guibeault claimed he witnessed Powderhorn carrying a bladed weapon in the week before the Christmas Day fire, and said he had heard of other concerning incidents from tenants.

He said he spoke with Manitoba Housing property managers as well as security about his concerns.

“(Manitoba) Housing was trying to kick him out,” Guibeault said.

“People had been complaining about him, he should’ve been out right away… if they’re violent, if they’re a danger to people, they should be out of that building.”

Doblej, 63, and McCooeye, 70, died in hospital from injuries they received in one of two fires Powderhorn allegedly lit over a four-hour period inside a suite in the building.

Powderhorn is also charged with four counts of arson with disregard for human life for the Christmas Day fire, and one count of arson causing damage to property for a garbage-bin blaze on nearby Kennedy Street around noon on Dec. 10, police said Tuesday.

He has past convictions for arson, court records show, and was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and is low-functioning.

A provincial government spokesperson wouldn’t say whether Manitoba Housing has any record of complaints about Powderhorn, citing privacy concerns.

Guibeault fled the flames early Christmas Day, but not before helping other people get out.

He had called the fire department and housing security about the first fire that night, then rushed to deal with the second blaze.

“I went under my sink, because I have a fire extinguisher,” he said. “I used my fire extinguisher to try to (coax) the fire not to come out (of the suite).”

He then started pounding on tenants’ doors to get them downstairs, he said, adding he directed firefighters to two tenants he was unable to reach.

Housing officials told him he won’t be able to return to his suite until at Friday at the earliest, though many others were cleared to go home Wednesday. He said he wants to return as soon as possible and doesn’t mind the smell of smoke.

The provincial spokesperson said Manitoba Housing hired a contractor to provide cleanup and ventilation services but did not indicate whether a Health Department inspection had been done.

Barbara, a senior with diabetes who didn’t want her last name used, was clearly angry outside the building Wednesday.

“Manitoba Housing (doesn’t) care about anybody,” she said. “Smoke and chemicals, it smells like that.”

She said she’s concerned for her health and that of other tenants. They’re not convinced the building has been adequately cleaned.

And she said she’s been told by a property manager she won’t be reimbursed for food that rotted in her fridge while she was staying at the hotel, as well as other expenses she incurred.

“I’m confused, mixed-up, angry, mad at them — they don’t listen to anything you say,” she said, adding she plans to speak with her elected representatives about the situation the tenants are in.

Tenants are encouraged to get insurance, the spokesperson said.

“Depending on the insurance policy in place, tenant insurance may cover things like incidental expenses and spoiled food.”

The housing authority worked with community agencies to provide meals to the tenants, who “were advised… their meals would be covered based on an allotted amount,” the spokesperson said.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera