Condo site fire leaves destruction, shock in its wake

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This article was published 31/01/2022 (962 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As flames tore through an unfinished condominium complex close to his East Kildonan home, Graeme Mohr worried his elderly neighbours wouldn’t be able to flee on their own.

Desperate to warn them, the 35-year-old construction worker rushed into the cold in a T-shirt and went door-to-door Monday, as smoke billowed into the sky near their cluster of condo buildings.

“I ran to all the neighbours and went banging on all the people’s doors, telling them to get whatever they have to get and evacuate because the fire was coming quick,” said Mohr, who lives on Blantyre Avenue.

“There were burning embers falling all over.”

Winnipeg firefighter crews soon arrived and told residents of at least three area condo buildings and one house to leave until it was safe.

Nearby, a four-storey condo building under construction at the corner of Kimberly Avenue and London Street had become an inferno.

Flames spread to the neighbouring East Kildonan Estates, comprising two condo buildings at 765 and 775 Kimberly Ave., and its parking garage.

The three-alarm blaze, which broke out at about 3:30 p.m. Monday, destroyed the unfinished wood-framed complex, garage and all vehicles inside.

The occupied Kimberly Avenue condo buildings suffered extensive fire, water and smoke damage, with one faring worse than the other.

Vehicles parked several metres away on Blantyre Avenue were reduced to burned-out shells due to the size and intensity of the fire. A man who lives across the street on Dowhan Crescent said his wooden fence was scorched.

Residents of East Kildonan Estates were still displaced Tuesday as the cause of the fire was investigated. No injuries were reported, and a damage estimate was not yet available.

Giselle Majersky, who lives in one of the buildings, opened her balcony door after hearing a commotion outside, and saw a teenage girl — believed to be a student from nearby Kildonan East Collegiate — trying to warn residents.

“A pedestrian was banging on the windows and yelling at everyone to get out because there was a big fire,” said Majersky, 74. “We didn’t have time to grab anything.”

She was stunned when she finally got a look at the four-storey building engulfed in flames.

“There were these huge 50-foot (15-metre) flames and black smoke. You just stand there in disbelief. It’s like watching a Netflix movie in real life,” she said. “The fire advanced so fast.”

Her vehicle, a 2019 Ford Escape, was among those destroyed in the garage.

“These cars burned to a crisp. There is nothing left,” said Majersky, president of East Kildonan Estates board of directors.

There are 54 units between the two buildings. Most residents are retired, she said.

“We are in limbo. We are homeless and we don’t know what is going on,” said Majersky, who was on her way to buy clothes and essentials such as a toothbrush. “Everybody is very grateful there are no casualties.”

Like many of those displaced, she is staying with family and dealing with her insurance providers.

The City of Winnipeg’s emergency social services team helped residents of at least one suite find a temporary place to stay.

“For the most part, people were picked up by family or they left on their own,” said Coun. Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan).

Firefighters cleared the scene at about 4:45 a.m. Tuesday, as a blizzard hit. They revisited the site through the day to check for hot spots and smouldering debris; city police remained on scene.

In an email, a Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service spokeswoman said East Kildonan Estates residents will be allowed to return once utilities are reconnected and clean-up, restoration and repairs are completed.

The work is being overseen by Brydges Property Management.

“There are a handful of suites in 775 Kimberly which sustained significant damage and will residents will not be able to enter those suites to retrieve possessions,” the WFPS spokeswoman said.

People who live in the Blantyre Avenue condos, including Mohr and his mother (and neighbour) Wendy Petrushak, were allowed to return home after about two hours.

“The fire department told us to grab whatever and get in the car and leave,” said Petrushak, 64. “I packed my three little dogs in the car and left. It was scary as hell.”

Petrushak said construction of the four-storey building began about a year ago.

Plans for an 84-unit residential complex and underground parking garage, owned and developed by a numbered company, at 750 London St. received city approval in 2020.

A director of the numbered company declined to comment, as did Justin Bova, president of Winnipeg-based contractor Pretium Projects.

The WFPS spokeswoman said buildings under construction, particularly those at the framing stage, are generally at a high risk for fires, due to combustible materials being close to ignition sources, a lack of built-in safety systems (such as sprinklers) and the absence of doors and finished walls that may slow the spread of flames.

“We can’t emphasize more (the importance) of having insurance,” said John Popowich, president of the Canadian Condominium Institute’s Manitoba chapter. “Fires happen, accidents happen. You don’t want to be caught without insurance and be left starting from nothing.”

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching