Number of Winnipeg vacant building fires in 2025 'frustrating,' but not shocking: Firefighters union head

There have been at least six fires at vacant buildings in Winnipeg so far in the new year, all of which were properties that have previously burned before. 

Some of those calls resulted in the buildings needing emergency demolition and in one incident, a firefighter was sent to hospital after responding to a blaze at a vacant building. 

"It's frustrating, frankly it doesn't come as a surprise," said United Firefighters of Winnipeg president Nick Kasper.

"In 2024 we faced an average of 20 vacant building fires per month, that's an increase of 20 times over the last decade and the trend is obviously continuing to increase into 2025.

"It is frustrating, but it's not a shock to us," he said. 

On Sunday, Elsa Doucette stood outside her Aikins Street home remarking that it's been more quiet ever since the vacant, three-storey apartment building across the street on Mountain Avenue was demolished following a fire during the first week of January. 

"Every day there was sirens," said Doucette. "Every, every day. Fire trucks every second day, ambulances, it didn't stop."

The blaze at the building on Jan. 3 was at least the fourth there since 2022.

Doucette said she's glad nobody got hurt in the fire, but is glad to see the building gone.

"It's been an eyesore for an ongoing amount of time," she said. "A hazard, if you would say." 

Those thoughts were echoed by Daniel Asrat, the vice-chair of the parish council for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which is right beside where the Mountain Avenue apartment complex recently stood.

Asrat said the fires there made people "on guard" and not knowing when the building would go up in flames next was stressful. 

"You don't know what's going to happen tomorrow [or if] you have a church or not," he said. "You don't know what's going to happen so that was the hardest … thing for us." 

The former Mountain Avenue apartment complex is among several vacant buildings that have gone up in flames again this year.