Person jumps from second storey as home engulfs in flames

To avoid the flames, a resident of the home in Constance Bay jumped from a balcony of the second storey.

Firefighters described a fast-moving fire after multiple 911 calls to their communications division reported a blaze that had trapped a person on the second floor of the home. At 10:30 p.m., crews responded to the 100 block of Charmont Way, along the Ottawa River, and found the front of a home fully engulfed with billowing smoke.

When officials arrived, the resident said they had escaped by jumping off the balcony. The other person told the teams that everyone had left. Firefighters created a medical sector to treat both people, one of whom sustained minor burns to their hands while trying to extinguish the fire.

Multiple hoses were on the home quickly, and an aerial ladder to help douse the blaze from the top. This area is a part of the city where there are no fire hydrants available, so crews used a tanker truck system to bring water to the home.

After almost 20 minutes, there was a partial structural collapse. At 11:54 p.m., it was deemed unsafe for crews to be inside the home, and they evacuated. The residents told teams there were three cats inside, and one firefighters found a cat dead.

A second cat was saved from the fire but a third is still missing.

By 12:15 a.m. the fire was under control.

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