One person, firefighter injured in two-alarm blaze in Ottawa townhome

Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) said a two-alarm blaze in Alta Vista is now under control after a resident made a harrowing escape and a firefighter was injured.

At around 9:11 a.m., OFS received a 9-1-1 call for a three-storey townhome in the 100 block of Tall Oak Private, near the Ottawa Hospital.

The caller, a resident of the home, said there was a fire in the second-floor bedroom.

In a post on X, OFS said the caller could not exit the bedroom and had to leave on the attached deck. As flames grew, they jumped from the second floor, injuring themselves.

Ottawa paramedics told CityNews Ottawa that they cared for an adult male with burns and injuries sustained from jumping from the second floor.

“The patient was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition,” the spokesperson said.

When fire crews arrived on scene there was “heavy black smoke” and flames coming from the middle unit of the townhomes.

“The entire main floor and second floor was engulfed in smoke and flames,” the post on X reads.

Officials say other residents and pets were not inside the attached homes. Firefighters in and on the house had to be evacuated at one point due to a possible roof collapse.

Conditions were “deteriorating.”

Firefighters set up aerial ladders to fight the blaze and were able to get it under control by 10:30 a.m.

Paramedics confirmed they cared for a firefighter while on scene. Ottawa fire said they were treated for heat exhaustion.

The fire is now under investigation.