Winnipeg firefighters fought seven blazes in just over 24 hours this past weekend, but that volume of calls isn’t out of the ordinary.
The fires happened at homes, vacant buildings, grassland, and an apartment complex on Young Street. Residents there were evacuated but were soon allowed to return inside after the firefighting efforts.
“The alarm went off so we went down,” explains Tara Biswanger, who recently moved into the building. “It was on the second floor balcony and the balcony was on fire. The firefighters moved really fast so it didn’t seem to take that long for them to get it out.”
No injuries were reported in any of the seven fires, and the city says the cause of the fires are still being investigated.
“Sadly a lot of our weekends are this busy or close to it,” says Deputy Fire Chief Scott Wilkinson.
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Calls for service have increased for the firefighters as the city’s population has grown, and the mental health and addictions crisis has become more severe. In 2025 alone, Winnipeg firefighters responded to over 500 fires at encampments.
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“This does put an ongoing strain on our resources, and certainly puts a strain on our crews trying to respond to that volume of fires everyday,” explains Wilkinson.
“We’re working on some strategic plans now regarding how many more resources we need to sustain our response and alter the way we respond to calls to keep up the response times we need. Certainly with the growth of our city, we are going to look at additional stations and resources to keep up with that growth.”
The Young Street weekend call is not the only high-rise fire in recent weeks. A blaze at a Kennedy Street apartment complex in mid-April displaced residents, and one person was found dead inside.
“Those are high-density, high-risk housing units,” says United Firefighters of Winnipeg President Nick Kasper.
Firefighters tasked with battling blazes in these taller buildings often face additional challenges compared to the average two-story home.
“When we respond to a regular structure fire, we arrive in front of the house and we’re there ready to go,” explains Kasper.
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“There’s something known as vertical delay. When our crews arrive at a high rise they have to get their equipment from the ground floor up to the fire suite and worry about evacuating residents.”
Kasper goes on to say the blaze at Kennedy Street resulted in the relocation of nearly 70 residents.
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