Stretch of Osborne closed as firefighters battle blaze

The Winnipeg Free Press reported that a young couple who just moved into a suite above Ronald's Fine Shoes on Osborne Street are lucky to be alive, because they managed to escape before fire destroyed the building early Monday morning.

It was reported that the couple heard the alarm at just after 4:30 in the morning.

 They were the only occupants at the time, having moved last Thursday.

Alexandra French said the alarm was more like a "buzzing" and hard to hear. Schmid said he would have slept through the alarm if it hadn't been for his girlfriend.

There were two other suite but they weren't occupied at the time. One was vacant and the occupant of the other was working a night shift.

Police had closed Osborne in both directions near the intersection to vehicles and pedestrians.
There is no word yet on the cause of the fire, or a damage estimate

City fire crews now have extinguished the fire which destroyed the two-storey building in the 600 block of Osborne. The store and suites above it sustained heavy fire, smoke and water damage. There appear to have been no injuries.