Two early morning fires in Winnipeg, which broke out on the same street, are under investigation after fire officials say their cause is suspicious. The fires broke within minutes of each other on Victor Street.

The front part of the home where fire officials a suspicious fire broke out in the rear garage.

Crews were first called to 707 Victor Street at about 5:15 a.m. where a fire had started in a garage at the rear of a home.

The heat was so intense that it's now hard to recognize a car in the middle of the burned wreckage.

The fire spread to the home, and burned through the roof.

It also spread to the home and garage on one side of the house, and to a neighbour's car on the other.

Damage to all three properties is estimated to be about $400,000.

No injures were reported.

Second fire houses away on Victor Street

The second fire started about half a block away at 730 Victor Street in an apartment building.

The building was evacuated — people stayed warm in a city bus.

Four to five people were taken to hospital in stable condition.

Joseph Nhkum is one of the residents in the apartment building. He said he thought he was dreaming when he first heard the fire alarms going off.

"When I wake up I went to through the door and I open, the outside and it was smoke," he said. "I was just making sure what was going on. Everyone was running. And I see a lot of smoke, a lot of smoke, like you can't see anything."

Damage at the apartment building is now estimated to be about $30,000.

Police have opened up Victor Street and Wellington Avenue which had been closed because of the fire.

But people are being advised to slow down in the area because the streets have become very icy due to water being sprayed to put out the fires.