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This article was published 4/11/2009 (3982 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES A firefighter looks through the ruins of the building at 457 Notre Dame Ave.

A deadly fire at a Winnipeg bathhouse was alleged started by a customer who was angry to learn he'd had a sexual tryst with a man he thought was actually a woman, the Free Press has learned.

Two people died in the Oct. 11 blaze at the Aquarius Men's Bath while nearly 40 other patrons were able to escape.

Steven Yablonski

Justin Rosdobutko, 25, has been charged with two counts of manslaughter. He remains before the courts and is presumed innocent. His lawyer said this week he plans to vigorously fight the charges.

A friend who went with Rosdobutko to "co-ed" night at the Notre Dame business spoke out this week on the condition his name not be published because of safety concerns. He has given a lengthy statement to police and is considered a key Crown witness.

"We had been out all night and, I don't know, we just decided to go there," said the man. He said they went downstairs into the locker room area and changed into towels. They checked out several rooms on the main floor of the facility but eventually became separated.

"A little later on I ran back into him. He was upset," said the friend.

The friend claims Rosdobutko told him he had met someone he believed to be a woman, only to discover it was a transvestite. He felt like he'd been "tricked."

"I guess anybody would be upset by that," the friend said.

The two men returned downstairs to get changed back into their street clothes. Suddenly people began yelling about a fire on the main floor.

Robert Clark

"It was a total panic to get out. I've never been in a fire before," said the friend. He and Rosdobutko fled the facility and stood outside for several minutes, watching the blaze.

He said Rosdobutko was initially interviewed by police as a witness. The investigation changed once the friend gave his statement to investigators.

"I'm just so confused, so stressed," said the friend, who hasn't talked to Rosdobutko since he was arrested.

"I just can't see him doing this, I've known him for a long time," he said.

Rosdobutko is being held in custody at the Remand Centre. He was denied bail on Monday. A court-ordered ban prevents specific details of the hearing from being published.

Rosdobutko

Robert Gene Clark, 62, of Saskatchewan and Steven Yablonski, 23, of Winnipeg both died in the blaze. Police say their investigation is ongoing and further charges could be laid. They say there is no evidence at this time to suggest the fire meets the definition of a hate crime.

Visitors at the bathhouse frequently roam throughout the building to socialize with each other and have sex in bedrooms there.

The fire caused about $500,000 damage to the property at 457 Notre Dame Ave. The bathhouse's owner, Somchai Pengpharsuks, lost another business to arson in 1999, the King and Alexander Steam Baths.

Family members say Rosdobutko often spoke of his dream to become a Winnipeg firefighter. He is the father of a five-year-old girl, who lives with her mother.

"He's a good person, a loving and caring father. He's not some irresponsible punk, that's always been our impression," his uncle, Jamey Rosdobutko, said last week.

www.mikeoncrime.com