Electrical incident in Winnipeg sends two workers to hospital

A witness who captured video footage of the incident and posted it to social media described an intense and chaotic scene, saying, “A few minutes earlier, that hum was much louder, and there was a loud pop. Then the fire was travelling up the lines! Craziness.”

One video shows a flash of light followed by a ladder falling. Additional footage showed a fire across the street at the base of a different power line, which raised concerns about possible electrical faults.

Nearby resident Gerry Desrosiers, who lives at the complex, witnessed some of the aftermath. He told CBC News he saw one worker on the ground, receiving medical attention, while another stood close by. “It’s awful, because you hear about accidents, but when you see someone on the ground so close, it’s kind of sad,” he said, adding that the workers appeared to be young.

Investigation underway

The Province of Manitoba’s Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) division confirmed to Canadian Occupational Safety it is investigating the incident. In a brief statement, a provincial spokesperson stated, “Workplace Safety and Health is aware of the incident and investigating. Nothing further to add at this time.”

Desrosiers mentioned that the workers had been at the site for several days, likely conducting maintenance or repair work on the apartment’s air conditioning system. “I knew that they were covering the air conditioners,” he said, though he did not see what caused the accident.