Vehicle fire guts 2-storey home north of Winnipeg

A fire that consumeda two-storeyhome in West St. Paulon Wednesday was sparked ina vehicle parked inside an attached garage, say emergency officials.

The flames quickly spread to the house and into the attic. The family sleeping inside was alerted by asmoke detector and able to safely escape.

Firefighters were able to salvage some of the family's belongings from the main level, including computers, before everything else was lost.

The first thing, we can pray to God the family's OK. That's the main concern.- ParmjeetGill

Crews were called just before 5 a.m. CT tothe home,tucked behind trees on a sparsely populated stretch of MollardRoad, justnorth of Winnipeg's Amber Trails subdivision.

Thick, heavy smoke filled the frigid air, shrouding firefighters, though flames couldbe seen coming out of the roof of the house at one point.

By8:30 a.m., the roof was gone.

The garage, too,is gutted and has collapsed save for one wall.

The home'ssecond level and the remains of therooflineare ringed in black, charred material.

According to a neighbour, the family just moved into the house in September.

ParmjeetGill, secretary of the Sikh Society of Manitoba, said he knows the family because they've been members of the society for years.

"[It's] kind of devastating," he said about the fire. "The first thing, we can pray to God the family's OK. That's the main concern."

Aside from the cold, fire crews also faced a challenge with the lack of available water.

There is no fire hydrant in the area the house backs onto one farm field and faces another so a water truck was brought in and used to filla portable tank, set up on the street.

The water was then pumped into fire trucks and then out through the hoses.

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