BFES battles First Street house fire

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This article was published 19/08/2024 (475 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon firefighters worked hard to try to save a house that caught fire on First Street near the intersection with Lorne Avenue on Saturday afternoon.

When the Sun arrived on scene around 2 p.m., nearby residents had gathered in the alley behind the home and in front along the sidewalk to get a first-hand glimpse of the scene.

Members of all three emergency services were on scene as well as a Manitoba Hydro worker, who climbed a pole in the back alley to shut off the home’s electrical connection.

It looked like the worst of the damage was located along the fence to the north of the home and around the back door, where a blackened strip marked where the heat had melted and burnt away the siding.

Smoke was billowing out from under the roof and the windows on the top floor.

Some firefighters put on breathing apparatuses and went inside with metal hooks on poles, others hosed down an area near the side fence and a couple more climbed onto the roof with a ladder to cut a hole with a chainsaw and axes.

Firefighters present on scene said no one was available to comment while they were getting the fire under control.

A Brandon Police Service sergeant said police were waiting for the fire department to finish their work before starting their investigation, but it was his understanding that no one inside the home had been hurt.

However, a BPS staff sergeant told the Sun by phone that because the fire appeared to have started outside, its cause would likely have been suspicious.

Sitting at the far corner of the yard with a small pile of belongings they had rescued from inside the home were Rachel McKay and her boyfriend, who said they lived on the house’s main floor.

She said they had been playing online casino games in their bedroom when they noticed the fire.

“I have my living-room window open on the side, and I thought it was raining. I could hear crackling or something like that,” McKay said.

Running to look through the window, McKay said she could see red and pink outside and called to her boyfriend to warn him about the fire.

She said there had been someone squatting along the fence next to the house for the past couple of weeks and wondered if they had started it.

The couple said they were physically fine, but a little bit shaky.

» cslark@brandonsun.com

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