Vacant home in Point Douglas earmarked for affordable housing destroyed by fire

A resident of Winnipeg's Point Douglas neighbourhood is expressing their disappointment after a vacant home there that was supposed to be turned into affordable housing was destroyed on Saturday by a fire.

"We were so happy that, you know, all these houses were coming back to the community, and now there's one gone," said Katherine Bitney, community resident and advocate.

The provincial government announced earlier this year it would sell six homes in Point Douglas that were seized as part of a drug-trafficking investigation to non-profits or Indigenous organizations. The groups would buy each home for just $1 and then renovate them into affordable housing.

But after the Saturday fire left one of the homes on Lisgar Avenue damaged beyond repair, Bitney just hopes no home will fall to a similar fate.

"I'm really sad about that," she said. "That's not good news for the community."

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to the blaze at 9:38 a.m. Saturday, the city said in a release.

Crews started putting out the fire from the inside of the home but were forced to leave and attack the flames from the outside after things kept heating up. They had the fire under control at 1:19 p.m.

No occupants were found inside the home, and no injuries were reported, the city said. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

2 other vacant homes catch fire

The Point Douglas incident is the third vacant home fire in the city in the past 24 hours.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to a fire at a North End home on Flora Avenue at 3:21 p.m. Friday. Crews had the fire under control at 3:39 p.m.

Crews responded to another fire in the Centennial neighbourhood at 11:10 p.m. Friday. The fire at the home on Elgin Avenue was under control at 12:09 a.m early Saturday. The same home also caught fire in May, the city said.

No one was found inside either home and no injuries were reported.

Both Friday fires are also under investigation.