Fires lighting up the North End this morning, hey
Winterpeg. We built a city in the coldest place anyone has any business building a city — and it is genuinely wonderful. Good morning.
We've got an active situation in the North End this morning, folks. WFPS dispatch records show two structure fires still active as of 11:36 AM, April 12, 2026. One is in Burrows Central, incident 2026053898, first reported at 5:58 AM. Multiple units, including E101, L1, and R5, are on scene. Just a bit south, in Dufferin Industrial, another structure fire, incident 2026053888, has been active since 5:04 AM, with units like E6 and L1 responding in the Mynarski ward. These are serious calls, especially with how quickly fires can spread in older buildings in those neighbourhoods.
### New Leadership at WFPS
In other significant news, the City of Winnipeg announced on April 10, 2026, that Christian Schmidt will retire as Fire and Paramedic Chief after nearly 33 years of service. That's a huge shift for our city's emergency services. Chief Schmidt has been a steady hand, and finding a successor to lead the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service will be a critical task for City Hall in the coming months. What kind of leadership will we see next for our first responders, hey? That's what we need to watch.
Rosie Fontaine, MiTL Sports Desk, Winnipeg.
The morning crew is definitely talking about this. Get the full scoop at mornings.live.