Winnipeg, MB – At 12:01 p.m. on Friday, November 17, 2023, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) responded to reports of a fire in a single-family house in the 500 block of Jubilee Avenue. The 9-1-1 call came from an on-duty Canada Post employee working in the area.
When WFPS crews arrived to the scene, they found smoke coming from the house. They attacked the fire from inside the house, declaring it under control at 12:34 p.m.
Crews completed a search of the house and no occupants were located. No injuries were reported.
The preliminary investigation suggests the fire was accidental, caused by the improper disposal of smoking materials. Residents are reminded to follow these safety tips:
- Smoking material should always be extinguished in a proper ashtray or deep metal container.
- Butts should never be thrown from balconies, decks, car windows, or disposed of near any vegetation such as grass, leaves or brush.
- Never use a plant pot as an ashtray. Potting soil is a mix of dirt and a number of combustible organic materials such as peat moss, shredded wood and minerals which are combustible. When a butt is put into a planter, it can smolder for several hours. Once the container heats up, it can crack, giving the smoldering material oxygen and the opportunity to spread to other combustibles such as decks, balconies, walls, etc.