Man dies in apartment fire

A 66-year old man is dead following a fire that ravaged an apartment complex Thursday.

The blaze took place in La Broquerie, Man. late in the day. Fire Chief Alain Nadeau says the blaze began suddenly and without warning. He says it was just before 4:00 p.m. when his team was called to the grouping of apartment buildings located along Des Pignons Street.

“The centre apartment was fully involved and flames were coming out of the front window,” Nadeau says, “and then we were told that somebody was still inside.”

Not wanting the flames to spread to the neighbouring buildings, Nadeau called for mutual aid. The Ste. Anne Fire Department and the water tanker from Giroux responded. Meanwhile, he says the top priority was doing what they could to rescue the man trapped inside.

Meaning no disrespect to the individual, Nadeau says it was the kind of residence one might refer to as a "hoarder house". He notes books, papers, cardboard, and other flammable materials were piled over a foot high throughout the apartment, making the fire incredibly difficult to extinguish.

Fire crews remained on scene until 9:30 p.m. and continued to monitor for hotspots throughout the night.

“The person probably could have gotten out if things had been different,” comments Nadeau, who says the gravity of the situation was really hard on his crew. “The fuel load was just so big, everything happened so fast, there was no chance of anyone getting out of there.”

According to Steinbach RCMP, who were also on scene, a few individuals living nearby tried to enter the building and help the man before emergency personnel arrived however the thick smoke prevented them from doing so.

“The neighbours, they saw what happened right away and tried to get him out, they even tried to put the fire out actually,” remarks Nadeau. “It was a pretty heroic effort on their part, but they could not do it. He did not make it.”

From what police were told, some witnesses observed a male come to the second storey window and tried to coax him to jump out but he was unable to exit. That was the last anyone saw of him.

Once the flames had burned down and crews could enter, they found the man deceased in his bedroom.

Steinbach RCMP officers on scene spoke with neighbours who say they tried to help the man.

Without downplaying the devastating loss of life, Nadeau says he is grateful his team was able to prevent the blaze from transferring to any of the other nearby apartment buildings. Fire crews remained on scene until around 9:30 PM and continued monitoring the fire for hotspots throughout the night.

“The guys were just amazing, they did a super job,” he says.

According to the chief, all residents living in the nearby buildings were asked to evacuate their homes during the fire. Because no other apartment complex was damaged, he expects everyone will be able to return home sometime today. Still, he says, the other folks who lived in the building that ignited will be displaced for a long time.

The Office of The Fire Commissioner is investigating the cause of this fire but has not yet determined its source. The fire is not believed to have been suspicious in nature.