Winnipeg police investigating fire as homicide after 2 people die from injuries

Posted on September 15, 2024 by Peggy

Two people taken to hospital in critical condition after a fire in Winnipeg’s St. John’s neighbourhood on Saturday morning have since died, Winnipeg police say.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service rescued a 49-year-old man and 38-year-old woman from the suite of a three-storey commercial and residential mixed-use building on Atlantic Avenue, between Charles and Main streets, around 3 a.m.

Police have notified the deceased’s next of kin, police said in an update on Sunday afternoon.

Two other people were treated for smoke inhalation.

Kimberley Houle lives across the street and said she was devastated to hear two people had died.

“Knowing that and knowing those poor people now have to bury their family, it’s so sad,” she said. “It’s so, so sad.”

A fire truck is parked outside a building that was on fire. Some of the windows in the building are smashed and the back door is open. — Two people are dead following an early morning fire at a three-storey building on Atlantic Avenue, between Charles and Main streets, early Saturday morning. (Ron Dhaliwal/CBC)

Meanwhile, officers called the fire “suspicious” and continue to investigate the incident for arson and as a homicide case.

The City of Winnipeg previously said the building suffered significant damage from the fire. No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information regarding the incident, including video surveillance, is asked to contact investigators at 204-986-6508 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers 204-786-TIPS or winnipegcrimestoppers.org.