Dozens of emergency units rushed to Winnipeg's Glenelm area on Wednesday morning, where three homes and a garage were burning. Crews were called to Cobourg Avenue, between Beatrice Street and Henderson Highway, around 6:40 a.m., said a news release from the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service. The initial call was about two houses on fire but when crews arrived they found the flames had extended to the third home and a garage. Everyone inside the homes got out safely before firefighters arrived. More crews were called in through the day to help, according to the city's incident response website, which lists a total of 33. They entered the two-storey house where the fire is believed to have started but were forced out by the extreme conditions.They fought flames and smoke from outside until conditions improved and they could re-enter and attack from the inside. While in the house, they found a cat that had died. Firefighters also entered the other two homes and garage to extinguish those flames. However, they were forced to get out of one of the houses, a 1½-storey, as conditions deteriorated. An aerial ladder truck was used to pour water onto the house while protecting yet another neighbouring home. “We're fighting a very stubborn fire today,” said acting District Chief Darren Bayluk. The 1½-storey home has had several additions made to it, and the roof area, over the years, creating problems in trying to get access to some of the flames, he said. Bayluk expects some crews will remain at the scene through much of the day. A fire watch will then be set up with someone on site to watch for hot spots flaring up again. “It hits close to home, [and] it's heartbreaking to see,” said Amanda Chan, who lives across the alley from the burned homes. She said the neighbourhood is a tight-knit one, where everyone knows each other's name. Chan expects neighbours will rally to help the impacted families however they can. “Thankfully, everyone's OK,” she said. One person was assessed by paramedics but did not need to go to hospital. A firefighter also required medical attention at the scene. No other injuries were reported, the WFPS said in its release. Two of the houses sustained significant damage while the third house and garage have moderate damage, the news release said. Full damage estimates are not yet available. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The fire department in Macklin, Saskatchewan has confirmed a 25-year-old man arrested in connection with a series of rural hay bale arson attacks was one of its firefighters. The fire department in Macklin, Saskatchewan has confirmed a 25-year-old man arrested in connection with a series of rural hay bale arson attacks was one of its firefighters. The fire department in Macklin, Saskatchewan has confirmed a 25-year-old man arrested in connection with a series of rural hay bale arson attacks was one of its firefighters. The fire department in Macklin, Saskatchewan has confirmed a 25-year-old man arrested in connection with a series of rural hay bale arson attacks was one of its firefighters. The fire department in Macklin, Saskatchewan has confirmed a 25-year-old man arrested in connection with a series of rural hay bale arson attacks was one of its firefighters. With files from Emily Brass It’s a busy morning for Winnipeg firefighters, as a house fire in the Glenelm area early Wednesday spread to two adjacent homes. Deputy Chief Scott Wilkinson told Global Winnipeg that the first two homes are under control, but the blaze at the third is proving a bit tricky. “The one fire is still fairly well-involved, and the crews are working diligently to get that put out at this time,” he said. “It’s deep-seated in the building right now, and the firefighters have to fight the fire safely … they’re fighting from the exterior, defensively, because it’s not safe to enter due to the fire conditions, so it’s going to take a little bit more time.” One person was assessed on-scene by paramedics, as was one firefighter, but neither injury was serious enough to require them to be taken to hospital, and no other injuries have been reported. “(There’s) lots going on and the crews are still fighting hard to get these fires under control,” he said. “We don’t know anything about damage or cause right now, we’re just working to fully suppress the fire and confirm the safety of occupants and then we’ll have some more updates.” ### Aftermath of the Blaze The fire has prompted road closures in the Glenelm area. (Source: Joseph Bernacki/CTV News) Two of the homes suffered significant damage, while the third house and the garage only had moderate damage. Bayluk said it isn't known what started the fire and crews are investigating the cause. ### The Impact on the Community “It hits close to home, [and] it's heartbreaking to see,” said Amanda Chan, who lives across the alley from the burned homes. She said the neighbourhood is a tight-knit one, where everyone knows each other's name. Chan expects neighbours will rally to help the impacted families however they can. “Thankfully, everyone's OK,” she said. ### A Stubborn Blaze “We're fighting a very stubborn fire today because of the design of the home,” said Bayluk. “It's been added on to, there's several different add-ons to the roof area, which is causing problems for us gaining access to where we actually have fire.” ### Firefighters Battle the Flames “We're fighting a very stubborn fire today,” said acting District Chief Darren Bayluk. Bayluk expects some crews will remain at the scene through much of the day. A fire watch will then be set up with someone on site to watch for hot spots flaring up again. Firefighters could not enter the house where the fire started originally, switching to a defensive attack until conditions improved. The city said a cat was found dead inside the home. Crews could get into the garage and one of the other homes to extinguish the blazes there. However, the other home started to deteriorate and a ladder truck was needed to fight the fire. ### Early Morning Blaze The city said fire crews were called to a home on Cobourg Avenue around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday. Crews found a two-storey home on fire, which had extended to two neighbouring homes and a garage at the back of the property. Smoke fills the sky from a fire on Cobourg Avenue on Aug. 28, 2024. (Source: Joseph Bernacki/CTV News)