Parking garage partially collapses on 50 vehicles in downtown Ottawa
Posted Feb 26, 2025 09:23:34 AM.
Last Updated Feb 28, 2025 09:19:23 AM.
Last night just before 5:00 p.m., emergency personnel were called to a six-storey downtown parking garage for structural concerns.
The 911 caller reported to fire crews that a column on one of the garage pillars had been damaged and said someone should investigate. Personnel responded to 265 Laurier Ave. W., a parkade owned by GWL Realty Advisors’, and is operated by Indigo, an online parking company.
The Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) structural collapse team was dispatched and found that five to six girders, the horizontal supports of the building, were bowing.
They said the top floor had “a heavy snow load on it.”
More crews from OFS including the space rescue and confined space teams arrived. An engineer from the City of Ottawa and police were also called. Officials determined the integrity of the structure was compromised and that a collapse was “imminent.”
Firefighters searched the structure for people and quickly evacuated them from the area. There are about 50 vehicles inside the lot and no owners were allowed to remove them.
“While searching the structure for residents, it was confirmed the cement columns reinforcing the upper roof were cracked and broken,” firefighters reported.
At 4:47 a.m. on Wednesday, the top northwest level of the structure collapsed. No injuries were reported.
Building constructed in 1989
A City of Ottawa spokesperson told CityNews that the Building Code Services is investigating the collapse.
“We are awaiting engineering documentation to determine the cause of the incident along with next steps. Further comment will be provided once this analysis is complete,” they said. “Our immediate priority is to ensure public safety, stabilize the parking structure, and mitigate any risk to the surrounding area.”
When asked about the last inspection of the structure, the spokesperson said that it is the garage owner’s responsibility for the upkeep and good repair. The municipality only does further inspections if there are complaints about the building.
No further inspections have been conducted since its construction in 1989.
People are being told to email Indigo at ottawa.servicedesk@group-indigo.com if they are impacted.
A swath of road closures around the structure are in place as of Wednesday morning, including Slater Street between Bank and O’Connor streets, for both pedestrians and vehicles.
CityNews reached out to Indigo for comment.
