A Portage la Prairie man has been charged with attempted murder and other offences after he allegedly tried to keep a woman from leaving a burning apartment.
Emergency crews were called to 5th Street in Portage la Prairie on February 15 when they noticed thick black smoke coming from a basement apartment.
The first officer on scene could hear screaming coming from inside and entered the burning building. He helped a 41-year-old woman exit the structure and went back inside to try to get a 38-year-old man out. When the man refused the officer’s instructions, he was physically removed from the apartment.
Police say both the man and woman were inside when the fire first began, but the woman was held against her will from leaving the building. She suffered injuries as a result and was taken to hospital.
The 38-year-old suspect has also been charged with arson-disregard for human life and forcible confinement.
