'Weekend from hell': Winnipeg firefighters union

A number of house fires over the weekend has left several families homeless, firefighters exhausted, and two people have died.

Since Friday there have been at least five house fires, and two garage fires, in Winnipeg.

The first fire on Friday on Selkirk Avenue left two people dead, and another two taken to hospital.

The United Firefighters of Winnipeg quoted Union President Alex Forrest in a tweet saying, "It has been an exhausting and tragic last few days for firefighters in Winnipeg. 2019 has been one of our toughest years we can remember."

There were also fires on Manitoba Ave. and Charleswood Friday evening.

Early Saturday morning emergency crews were called to a fire on a balcony of a condo in Bridgewater.

A fire started in a vacant home on Sunday morning spread to two other homes. One of the buildings it spread to was so badly damaged that 12 people, including young children, are now homeless.

The UFFW says that the busy weekend continued Sunday evening. In a tweet, the union said that crews responded to two garage fires that started within minutes of each other. The garages share a back lane between Selkirk Ave. and Flora Ave.