Woman rescued, firefighter injured during North End fire

A woman was rescued and a firefighter was injured after a blaze broke out in the Lord Selkirk housing complexes in Winnipeg on Saturday night.

Fire crews were called to the two-storey suite, which had units surrounding it on either side, on the corner of King Street and Dufferin Avenue around 7:50 p.m.

When crews arrived the fire was blazing through the building and people were trying to get a woman out of the building.

"There was a person inside and a couple passersby, or people that live in the area, did assist, and also our fire crews assisted in her extraction from the building," said District Chief Don Enns, adding the woman suffered minor injuries.

"We are quite fortunate that the people in this area were willing to jump in and risk their lives to help another person."

A firefighter was injured fighting the blaze in the Lord Selkirk housing complex. (Kelly Malone/CBC)

Firefighters weren't sure if there were any other people inside so Enns said they had to move fast.

"Our crews, while inside, drywall did actually fall and did actually injure one of our firefighters," Enns said.

Other firefighters were able to get the injured firefighter out, where he was treated by paramedics on scene before being brought to hospital. There is no word on injuries.  

No one else was found inside the building and the fire was quickly contained and put out, Enns said.

Since the home is attached to so many other residences, Enns said they are lucky the building was constructed with brick between each suite.

"We were able to contain this fire to one unit which is incredibly fortuitous to us because we don't have to worry about it extending past that," he said. 

The fire was largely on the main floor of the suite, but flames did move to the upper level and fire and smoke damage could be seen through the windows.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. There is no estimate on damages.