Two found dead in Regina's second fatal house fire over 11 days

Regina Fire says two people were found dead following a house fire in the city early Wednesday morning.

Crews were called to a home on the 2100 block of Winnipeg Street around 12:39 a.m. where smoke and flames could be seen upon arrival.

“Flames [were] actually coming out of the roof. Firefighters were actually able to take quick control of it and upon their search activities, they found two deceased on the second floor,” Fire Chief Layne Jackson told reporters.

Crews remained on the scene Wednesday morning with the fire under investigation.

In a news release, Regina police says it’s also conducting an investigation along with the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.

According to neighbours, the house had been unoccupied for an extended period of time and had become a worry in the neighbouhood.

Brice Perkins is one such concerned citizen.

“So the house behind us here has been vacant for the last few years since we started living here on Winnipeg Street,” he explained.

Perkins has lived been living down the street from the site of the fire for past three years. He turned to both municipal and provincial leadership to express his concern about the home.

“We worked with them on trying to see if we could get it demolished for obviously a safety issue for the community but also in case anybody goes inside and if a fire happens but unfortunately last night, that is what happened,” he explained.

According to Perkins’s correspondence with the City of Regina, the house was scheduled to be demolished by the end of 2023. After this tragedy, it has him concerned for similar buildings – which are all too common in Regina.

“We have a lot of people that don’t have homes and don’t have safe places or shelters that they can go to,” Perkins said.

“We have a huge abundance of abandoned houses throughout the city that are not safe for people to be staying in and when it gets cold and people are looking for shelter, that’s where they’re heading to.”

The incident marks the second double fatality caused by a fire in Regina in 11 days.

On Dec. 9 two others were found dead also in a house fire on the 800 block of Rae Street.

“We’re seeing some occupancies too where folks are living in conditions where there’s no utilities within their homes and that can cause some extra risks too,” Layne added.

In its release, Regina fire encouraged residents to be aware of fire safety measures.

"Any fire-related fatality is tragic. It is important that our community is diligent in fire safety,” the release read.

“I urge all residents to ensure they have working smoke alarms. Please be safe.”