A resident of a house and a firefighter were injured in a Friday afternoon house fire in Winnipeg. 

Emergency crews responded to reports of a house fire at 2:45 p.m. on May 17, 2019, in the 900 block of Aberdeen Avenue. The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic service said in a release that upon arrival crews encountered heavy smoke and flames coming from the home. Firefighters initially battled the blaze inside the home, but were forced out. Crews remained on scene into the evening hours battling the blaze.

Two injuries

The only person in the home at the time of the fire was able to escape before firefighters arrived. They were assessed by paramedics on scene and transported to hospital in stable condition.

Neighbouring homes were evacuated as a precaution.

One firefighter suffered minor injuries but did not require transport to hospital. One cat from the home remains unaccounted for at this time.

Unattended cooking likely cause

The City says that the cause of the fire is still under investigation. However, preliminary information suggests its cause may have been accidental due to unattended cooking.

Several fires in Winnipeg this year have been caused by unattended cooking. The WFPS is once again reminding residents to always stay in the kitchen while cooking. Stove burners should always be turned off when leaving the kitchen, even for a short time.

Anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — should always be kept away from the stovetop.

No damage estimates are available at this time. However, the home is expected to be a total loss suffering from significant smoke, fire and water damage.