Winnipeg breaking news: fire tore through the top floor of the Alma Apartments at 269 Young Street in West Broadway on Thursday morning, November 12, 2026, leaving the third storey heavily damaged and residents with no insurance unsure where they will sleep tonight.
By Maplestime Winnipeg Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 12, 2026
Sources: CBC Manitoba | Last updated: November 12, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Emergency crews were called around 9:20 a.m. Thursday to the three storey Alma Apartments at 269 Young Street in West Broadway.
- Crews brought the fire under control before 10 a.m. and stayed much longer to put out hot spots.
- The third storey is heavily damaged and some second level suites have water damage. Some areas will not be occupied again, according to acting platoon chief Mark Oswald.
- All residents were out before fire crews arrived, Oswald said. There is no official word on any injuries, the extent of the damage or the cause of the fire.
- The 1914 building has 31 apartment suites, according to the Manitoba Historical Society.
What Happened at 269 Young Street
Thick smoke and large flames billowed out the windows of the top floor of the brick and stone Alma Apartments on Thursday morning. The building sits in Winnipeg’s West Broadway neighbourhood, near Portage Avenue.
The fire started in a suite. The floor in that suite was compromised, so crews could not go inside. Instead, they used a ladder truck to spray water through the roof from above.
The fire spread beyond that suite before it was brought under control. Assessments are still being done, but Oswald was clear about the scale of the loss: some areas will not be occupied again.
How Crews Fought the Fire
A spokesperson for the City of Winnipeg said crews brought the fire under control before 10 a.m., but stayed there much longer to extinguish hot spots. With the floor inside the fire suite unsafe, the ladder truck attack from above was the way in.
The third storey took the worst of it. Some suites on the second level have water damage from the firefight. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
Residents Rushed Out, Cats Rescued
Howard Snead, 69, has lived in the building for 14 years. His suite is only two doors down from where the fire started. He said the building manager pounded on everyone’s doors, telling them to get out. Snead believes everyone got out safely.
Snead said the smoke was terrible on his lungs. He is not sure where he will stay now, or if he will ever be able to go back. He said: “I got no insurance, so I’m toast. I don’t know what to do next.”
Casey Richards, 25, has lived there for only two months. He was sleeping across the hallway from the suite that was burning when the landlord’s banging jolted him awake. He said it all happened so fast that he could not grab anything and had to go. Once outside, he looked up and saw the south side of the building aflame.
Richards has four cats. Firefighters rescued three of them and brought them out to him. His fourth cat, a little white cat named Marshmallow with two different eyes, was still inside when he spoke to CBC. Richards, like Snead, has no insurance and no idea what is next for him and his pets. He said: “I don’t know if I’m homeless or not,”
What Is Still Unknown
There is no official word on any injuries, the extent of the damage or the cause of the fire. That is the position in the CBC report, and this post will not fill those gaps with guesses.
What is known is that a 112 year old building with 31 suites has lost part of its top floor, that residents left with almost nothing, and that at least two of them now face an uncertain night with no insurance to fall back on.
Maplestime will provide updates from the Alma Apartments fire as announcements are made.
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Should the city do more to help uninsured tenants after a fire like this, or is that a risk renters have to carry themselves? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Winnipegger following the West Broadway fire today.
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