Winnipeg Firefighter recalls deadly fire

Winnipeg firefighter Lionel Crowther captivated his audience last week at the Viking Community Centre as he  spoke about his involvement in a deadly Winnipeg house fire in February of 2007.

    Crowther walked the audience through the events of the evening five years ago which saw fire crews respond to a seemingly routine fire call in St. Boniface. The fire would claim the lives of captains Thomas Nichols and Harold Lessard and send four firefighters to hospital before the evening concluded.

    Crowther and firefighters Scott Atchison, Ed Wiebe and Darcy Funk survived. Atchison and Funk were taken to hospital after the incident and released shortly thereafter. Wiebe was hospitalized with severe burns and Crowther spent months recuperating from the burns he received.

For more see the March 6/12 issue of the Viking Weekly Review