University of Manitoba students faced class cancellations on Friday, March 22 and the following week after a fire broke out on the fifth floor of Tier and the Ellis building flooded. 

Winnipeg Fire Paramedics Services (WFPS) responded to a fire in Tier at 9 p.m. on March 21. The fire was extinguished by 9:17 p.m.     

Arts students were notified by email from the faculty of arts that, at the provost’s recommendation, classes held in the Tier building would be cancelled as of 9:49 a.m. on March 22. The email stated that the faculty was unclear “when the building will reopen.” 

WFPS was not available for an interview, but a statement from public information officer Terryn Shiells said crews from WFPS “found light smoke and a small fire” and were able to clear the scene at around 10 p.m.

According to a statement from the university, the fire was found in a bathroom garbage bin, and was successfully extinguished with “limited” damage to the area. The building was closed for air quality evaluations. 

The cause of the fire is unknown, according to the statement. 

Classes resumed as normal in the Tier on Monday, March 25. 

The Ellis building was evacuated in the morning of Monday, March 25 following the discovery of flooding. A sign posted on the building’s door that day advised it was closed due to a power outage. 

The university’s media relations provided the Manitoban with a statement identical to the information available on UM Learn. Crews worked on Monday to repair the cause of the flooding and assess damages, the statement said. 

Classes held in Ellis were cancelled Monday and class locations were reassigned for courses on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Regular class locations resumed on Monday, April 1. 

The cause of the flooding and its potential relation to the power outage is still unknown to the public.