One firefighter suffered minor injuries in an overnight blaze that left one West End home destroyed. The five people inside the home were all able to safely escape. 

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) says they received the call to the fire in the 400 of Furby St. around 4:00 a.m.

"Once on scene, crews found heavy smoke and flames coming from the home," the WFPS said in a release.

Initially, crews went into the three-storey single family home to fight the fire from the inside. However, they were forced outside to a defensive strategy due to deteriorating conditions inside the home.

They also worked to protect neighbouring homes, one of which had to be evacuated as a precaution.

The fire was not declared under control until 5:38 a.m. The home suffered fire, smoke and water damage. 

The WFPS says that the smoke alarm in the house alerted the occupants to the fire and everyone safely self-evacuated as a result.

A Winnipeg Transit bus was on scene to provide temporary shelter to all evacuees from the two homes. The City’s Emergency Social Services team was deployed to the scene to assist the family of five with finding alternate living arrangements.

Firefighters also rescued one cat from the residence and reunited it with the family. Winnipeg Animal Services attended to provide care to the animal.

The WFPS says that one firefighter sustained a minor injury and was assessed by paramedics on scene. The firefighter did not need to attend the hospital, and no other injuries were reported. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation. No damage estimates are available at this time.