Person found dead as crews battled Manitoba Avenue fire

One person and one catare dead after a house fire on Manitoba Avenue Saturday night.

Fire-paramedic crews were called to a home on Manitoba Avenue between Power and McGregor streets at 10:50 p.m.

They found a 2 1/2-storey home engulfed in heavy flames and smoke.

Inside, they found one person who had already died. A cat was also found dead.

The city did not release the age or gender of the person who died.

Two people had escaped the house in time, and one was taken to hospital in stable condition, the city said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. No damage estimate is available.

Brush fires

Wildland fire crews were also kept busy Saturday.

Firefighters spent the evening watching a fire in the Assiniboine Forest, extinguishing hotspots and protecting nearby homes overnight.

Crews were called to that fire around 4:30 p.m. andcity saidthe blaze started somewhere insidethe urban forest.

A second brush fire broke out at 9:55 p.m. on Killarney Avenue between Baylor and Acadia bays. The fire was spreading when crews arrived, but city officials say they quickly contained and extinguished it.

The brush fire was the third wildfire firefightersdealt with Saturday.

Wildland fire crews started their day with a call to a wildfire that had spread to nearly half a hectarein size near Murdock Roadaround 11:20 a.m.

No injuries were reported in any of the wildfires.

Christian Schmidt, deputy chief ofoperations with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, said dry conditions were to blame.

The risk for more fires will remain until the city sees rain, he said.

"In the meantime we're going to ask the public to make sure that they're following the neighbourhood liveability bylaw in terms of the requirements and restrictions of having open burning," Schmidt said Sunday.

That means no open burning when the wind is blowing over 25 km/h and only in an approved fire pit when conditions allow for it.

"It is absolutely paramount that people follow those directions in order to ensure the safety of our community,"said Schmidt.

"Until we get some substantial rain, residents in Winnipeg are going to have to be mindful that we do have fire conditions in the city."

More from CBC Manitoba: