Ottawa firefighters tackle four fires over 12-hour period

Ottawa firefighters responded to four separate fires over a 12-hour period between Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday morning.

Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) first responded to the 500 block of Besserer Street in Sandy Hill around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday after a 9-1-1 caller reported smoke inside their two-storey detached home. The caller also reported their elderly family member was still inside.

Firefighters arrived on scene within three minutes of being dispatched and confirmed heavy black smoke coming from the front of the home. Firefighters advanced a hose line through the front door and found the elderly resident had put out a kitchen fire with an extinguisher.

Crews confirmed there was no one else inside the home and the elderly resident was treated for smoke inhalation.

The fire was contained to the kitchen and did not extend into the walls.

Fire crews were then dispatched to a second fire around 3:40 p.m. when a 9-1-1 caller reported a truck on fire in the 4000 block of Leitrim Road. The caller said the truck was in the vicinity of multiple other vehicles at risk of catching fire.

Upon arrival, firefighters confirmed a Nissan pickup truck on fire in a salvage yard and knocked down the flames before they could spread.

The fire was under control within seven minutes of crews arriving on scene and there are no reported injuries.  

Around 9:30 p.m., crews were called out to a fire at a two-storey home in the 400 block of Donald B. Munro Drive in Carp after multiple 9-1-1 callers reported smoke and flames.

The structure was fully engulfed in smoke and flames when firefighters arrived on scene and a resident confirmed everyone including the family dog had safety exited without injury.

Firefighters advanced multiple hose lines and began with a defensive attack in an effort to extinguish enough of the flames to be able to enter the home.

After about 25 minutes, firefighters were able to make their way inside the structure and confirmed heavy flames in the attic.

Firefighters began pulling ceilings down on the second floor to get to the attic, but live hydro wires began to burn off and fall, creating a hazard on scene.

Two aerial ladders were set up to attack the fire which was declared under control just after 11:30 p.m.  

Victim assistance has been called in for three adults and four children who have been left without a place to stay.

The fourth fire was called in shorty after 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

A resident called 9-1-1 to report a possible fire in the basement of their two-storey single family home in the 2400 block of Church Street, near North Gower.

The caller told dispatch their home was filling up with smoke and upon arrival, firefighters confirmed heavy black smoke coming from the front door.

It was confirmed the resident was the only one home and had been able to exit safely.

OFS says firefighters advanced a hose line through the front door and began making their way through zero visibility conditions to the basement.

The fire was declared under control by around 4:15 a.m. before flames could spread past the basement.

Also, because the call was in an area of the city with no hydrants, tanker trucks had to be used to shuttle water to the scene.

Fire investigators have responded to all four scenes.