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Winnipeg

Historic Firth House in St. Andrews ‘a total loss’ after fire

A St. Andrews home built in 1861 that had a historic site designation from the province of Manitoba went up in flames Thursday morning.

More than 30 firefighters from the St. Andrews, Clandeboye and West St. Paul fire departments battled the blaze at Firth House, also known as Hay House, in the rural municipality of St. Andrews.

Smoke from the fire could be seen billowing into the sky from hundreds of metres away.

Multiple emergency vehicles were on scene shortly after 8:30 a.m., with RCMP officers diverting traffic from away from the home, located on River Road in the community north of Winnipeg.

“We immediately started a defensive fire attack, and we’ve been in defensive fire attack for most of the day,” said St. Andrews Fire Department Capt. Karl Harrison.

Harrison and the rural municipality of St. Andrews confirmed there was no one inside the home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

A man with fire equipment gear looks ahead.
Karl Harrison, captain of the St. Andrews Fire Department, said the home is a total loss. (Travis Golby/CBC)

The front facade of the home has been completely destroyed and Harrison confirmed the two-storey home “is a total loss.”

While there’s no risk to nearby buildings, he expected firefighters would continue to battle the flames until late Thursday afternoon and possibly longer.

An investigation into the cause of the fire will start once the fire is put out, Harrison said, with help from the Office of the Fire Commissioner if needed.

He said the home owner is aware of the fire.

Several emergency vehicles on the road, blocking off access to a major fire.
Emergency personnel responded to the fire in the rural municipality of St. Andrews on Thursday. (Travis Golby/CBC)

Thomas Firth, who had been a Hudson Bay Company labourer, started construction on the house in 1861, according to the province of Manitoba, which designated it as a heritage site in 1987.

It was bought in 1911 by E.H.G.G. Hay, a businessman who was a member of Louis Riel’s provisional government and served in the first Legislative Assembly in Manitoba, according to the province’s website.

The house was one of only a few remaining stone houses from the Red River Settlement era, according to the heritage designation.

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