Manitoba

Winnipeg police release homicide victims' names in fatal rooming house fire

Brenda Campbell, 51, and John McKinnon Bendon, 61, died as a result of the fire, which investigators believe was deliberately set.

Brenda Campbell, 51, and John McKinnon Bendon, 61, died as a result of the fire

A Winnipeg rooming house was engulfed in fire last Thursday morning. Police said 15 people were inside when the fire broke out and 13 of them were able to escape. (Submitted by Joshua Peterson)

Winnipeg police have released the victims' names in the fatal rooming house fire in north Point Douglas last Thursday.

The fire is being investigated as a homicide.

Brenda Campbell, 51, and John McKinnon Bendon, 61, died as a result of the fire, which investigators believe was deliberately set.

The fire broke out in a three-storey home in the 100 block of Austin Street North around 1:40 a.m.

By the time fire crews arrived, the blaze had spread to every floor of the building. Thirteen of the 15 people who were inside the rooming house escaped.

Police said the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information related to the fire is asked to call investigators at (204) 986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at (204) 786-TIPS (8477).