Family of Ukrainian refugees grateful to be alive after Winnipeg apartment fire

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A family of three Ukrainian refugees in Winnipeg were rescued through their third-storey window after being trapped by thick smoke inside a burning apartment building on Thursday.

"It's unbelievable," Alona Pluzhnyk told CBC News after she and her 62-year-old mother and 10-year-old daughter safely escaped St. Josaphat Selo-Villa, an eight-storey highrise for people 55 and older, on McGregor Street between Stella and Flora avenues.

The family was living there thanks to efforts of the affiliated Ukrainian Catholic church, Sts. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral.

They are now among 18 people displaced by the fire, which was contained to a third-floor suite, although several other areas sustained smoke and water damage, according to Andrew Radawetz, interim property manager at the residence.

The Pluzhnyk family has been in Winnipeg since September after fleeing the war in Ukraine almost one year ago. This is the second time they've lost everything.

They managed to stuff some documents and phones in a backpack and throw it out the window before climbing onto firefighter ladders, Pluzhnyk said.

"We ran from the war, and we know the necessities we had to take."