Fire department says fatal blaze on Winnipeg Street was intentionally set

Regina’s fire department says the house fire that claimed the lives of two people Wednesday was intentionally set.

On Thursday, Regina Fire and Protective Services issued a media release detailing the cause of that blaze on Winnipeg Street as well as the fire that killed two people Dec. 9 on Rae Street.

The release said investigators had determined the fire at the home in the 2100 block of Winnipeg Street “was incendiary, or intentionally set.” The fire department said it’s working with the Regina Police Service as it investigates the fatal blaze.

A neighbour said Wednesday the house had been abandoned for nearly three years and homeless people had been seeking shelter inside.

Regina Fire Chief Layne Jackson said later Wednesday that the house wasn’t boarded up, but he couldn’t say if the people who died in the fire were the home’s owners.

He confirmed the house wasn’t hooked up to utilities, and noted it didn’t have smoke detectors.

As for the fire in the 800 block of Rae Street earlier this month, Regina Fire and Protective Services have determined it was caused by “tampering with electrical distribution equipment and overloading an electrical device.”

The release didn’t say what that device was.

The fire department said it’s working with the Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan’s Electrical Division and with police as the investigation continues.

“All RFPS information has been turned over to the Regina Police Service and no further comment will be provided by RFPS or the City of Regina as further investigations are underway,” the release said.

So far, five people have perished as a result of house fires in Regina in 2023. In July, a woman died following a fire on Quebec Street after trying to light a cigarette with a butane torch.