Late-night fire empties Sandy Hill student residence

A fire at a student residence in Sandy Hill near the University of Ottawa early Saturday left 12 people homeless.

Ottawa Fire Services responded to reports of smoke on the third floor of the residence on 181 Henderson Ave. shortly before 3 a.m. Firefighters found a fire on the third storey had spread into the floor. Twelve residents were displaced, according to a news release. A fire investigator was at the scene.

The building is a house built as a private residence for students. An advertisement by Smart Living Properties shows the furnished house has a common living room, dining room and kitchen, and multiple bedrooms.

None of the tenants was injured, said Makeda Robertson, a spokesperson for Smart Living, in an email. Tenants were given temporary accommodations through the Red Cross for 72 hours, after which the landlord will make accommodations available to them while repairs are completed, said Robertson.

Just hours earlier, firefighters put out a fire in a unit of a highrise at 200 Rideau St.

They responded at just after 10 p.m. Friday to a fire alarm at the highrise, with smoke visible on the eighth floor. The fire was upgraded to a two-alarm blaze about 20 minutes later, but firefighters were quickly able to get it under control.

No injuries were reported, and damage had not been estimated, according to a news release.