Teen killed in Winnipeg house fire

A 14-year-old boydied in what police are calling a "major fire" in Winnipeg's North End neighbourhood Tuesday morning.

A passing police cruiser noticed the blaze in the 400-block of Mountain Avenue at about 1:30 a.m. and alerted the fire department.

Neighbours told CBC News it appeared the fire started on the home's front porch and quickly spread to the rest of the three-storey house.

Police were able tohelp 10 people get out of the house through a side window.

Firefighters foundthe 14-year-old boy on the third floor of the house.He was taken to hospital,but did not survive.

Jessica Roesler, 14, was one of the people who escaped the fire. She lived in the home with her extended family.

The boy who died was a schoolmate who was sleeping over, Roesler said.

She woke up to the sound of breaking glass.

"Everybody's like, 'A fire!' and I looked out my front window and everything was on flames already," she said.

"I tried to run back and save him and I called him and I didn't have time to. And then after that, I don't know. I jumped out the window and they said that he wasn't out of the house yet.

"I was scared. I didn't know what to do."

Neighbours said a large family lived in the home, and that it was a busy place.

The Winnipeg police's arson strike force, major crimes unit and homicide unit are investigating.