Engine heaters cause 3 fires this weekend in Winnipeg

The audio version of this article is generated by speech synthesis, a technology based on artificial intelligence.

The City of Winnipeg is warning motorists not to plug their vehicles into garages after three fires were caused this weekend by engine block heaters.

The latest fire broke out Saturday around 8:30 p.m. and the fire engulfed a vehicle before spreading to the garage and a two-story single-family home on David Street, between Portage and Fairlane avenues, according to a press release from fire department press published on Sunday.

Earlier on Saturday, firefighters responded to a two-story single-family home located on Four Mile Roadsoutheast of the ring highway, where they were able to extinguish flames coming from a garage using tankers, according to a press release issued Saturday.

Firefighters also responded at 11:45 a.m. to a vehicle fire in a garage attached to a single-family bungalow located on Yorkvalley Way in the neighborhood of South Pointe. On site, teams stopped the spread of the fire to the garage.

No injuries were reported in the three fires.

According to preliminary investigations, each of the three fires is accidental.

Firefighters are reminding drivers not to plug in their vehicle when parked in a garage, as a fire could quickly spread to other buildings.

They also recommend people check their engine block heater cables for wear and replace the extension cord if the vehicle was accidentally moved while still plugged into a power outlet.