Winnipeg teen fled hockey tournament after learning apartment was ablaze, dog stuck inside

A Winnipeg teen was playing in the Manito Ahbee hockey championship on Friday when he learned that his apartment block was engulfed in flames with his dog trapped inside.

Kayden Buffalo, 17, is a Grade 12 student at John Taylor Collegiate and is set to graduate next month. His high school team won their championship this year and he played for the Northern Cree team at the Manito Ahbee Cup over the weekend.

He and his mom lived on the top floor of one of four complexes at Quail Ridge Apartment Homes in the Winnipeg's St. James area. A fire began two doors down from their apartment on the fourth floor around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, spreading rapidly.

"It was just really scary because my dog was home, and that's all I really cared about," he told CBC News.

A friend texted Buffalo about the fire. He rushed home from the hockey tournament, telling a firefighter that his dog was trapped in his mom's room when he got there.

"After waiting for about 20 or 30 minutes, I was just getting to the point where I was super doubtful. I was super scared."

He said firefighters then began to carry out a few dogs from the burning apartment. One of them was Buffalo's pet, Obi. The dog survived by standing underneath a sprinkler, firefighters told Buffalo.

"It was probably one of the best moments of my life, knowing that he was OK and that he made it out safely."

About 180 people have been displaced by the fire. The Red Cross and the city's Emergency Social Services team provided help to 15 residents, and the rest made their own arrangements for accommodations, the city said on Saturday.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service spokesperson Erin Madden said in a Saturday email. The fire department