He said when crews arrived, the flames were already 15 to 20 feet in the air from the boarded-up house. The city says power was cut because heat from the fires melted lines in the area, causing an electrical hazard. Concerns over the home's structural integrity forced crews to take a defensive attack fighting the initial blaze, the city later said. Firefighters took an offensive attack to fight the second fire, which started after the city says flames spread to the eaves and attic of the neighbouring home to the north. Heavy smoke billowed from a boarded-up home in Winnipeg's Spence neighbourhood after the building went up in flames Sunday.

Source: CBC News May 19, 2019 18:00 UTC