1 taken to hospital, 30 displaced by West End apartment fire

One person has been taken to hospital, while about 30 others have been forced from their suitesdue to a fire in an apartment complex in the city's West End early Sunday morning.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were sent to a fire on Ellice Avenue near Maryland Streetat about 4 a.m. Sunday. There they found two people had climbed outof windows on the second floor and were clinging to a ledge, the City of Winnipeg said in a news release.

Crews used ladders to rescue thosepeople.Inside the building, firefighters found a person still in a suite. They were transported to hospital in critical condition, but have been upgraded to unstable condition.

A cat also died during the fire.

Firefighters extinguished the fire by 4:30 a.m. They then worked to ventilate smoke from the building.

About 30 people were displaced from the three-storey apartment building, taking shelter inside a nearby business while waiting for a Winnipeg Transit bus for shelter, the release said.

Social workers are helping displaced residents find relocation, while Animal Services is providing care for pets displaced by the fire.

By 10 a.m. damaged windows on the building had been boarded up, and the area was open to traffic.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and no damage estimates are available at this time.

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