The resurfacing of a St. Vital street has lead to the temporary closure of a Winnipeg fire hall.
According to the United Firefighters of Winnipeg, Station 26, located at 1525 Dakota St., will be closed effective Aug. 16.
"Just days after a Southwalk Bay fire destroyed one home and damaged two others—where the closest available fire apparatus took nearly 2.5x longer than the national standard—St. Vital residents will now face continued response delays around the clock," said the UFFW in a post on Facebook.
The union says the closest fire truck will now be stationed 10 plus minutes away.
"Winnipeg already has the slowest fire response times in Canada," said the UFFW. "Every 911 call has become a roll of the dice when seconds matter most."
According to the UFFW, the station will remain closed for two weeks.
"We were provided sudden notice that the street would be closed for resurfacing for an unknown period," said the UFFW. "Typically accommodations would be made to ensure adequate emergency services protection remained available in the community by adjusting construction or obtaining temporary accommodations in the area. That will not be the case for residents in this St Vital neighbourhood."
CHVN has reached out to the city and is awaiting a response.