Fire crews called to help with flooding basements in Carlington

After torrential rain over the weekend, storm sewers, rivers and roadways are still seeing pooling in Ottawa.

On Sunday, around 7:33 p.m., firefighters were called to the Carlington community, near the Experimental Farm, for reports of flooding.

A resident dialled 911 and told dispatch there was about two feet of water in their basement in the 1100 block of Kingston Avenue.

When crews arrived, they saw the street was flooded and started doing wellness checks on homes in the area. Multiple houses needed to have gas and electricity shut off due to the flooding.

Firefighters brought extra sump pumps to help a total of five homes. The pumps and tarps were used to divert water away from the home, while another team removed the lids on several sewers to help the flooding.

Hours later, officials cleared the scene just 33 minutes past midnight.

About 13.5 millimetres of rain fell on Sunday, according to Environment Canada data. Increasing the chance of flooding was the high temperatures of around 18 C melting the snowpack rapidly.

The Rideau River Conservation Authority has issued a flood watch for the Rideau River.

“Flooding is possible in specific watercourses or municipalities. Municipalities, emergency services and individuals in flood prone areas should prepare,” the flood index states.