Two dead in Barrhaven blaze
Woman who escaped blaze in hospital, officials detect no early sign of foul play
A mother in her 70s and her son died in a fire in a row-house apartment in Barrhaven early Tuesday.
Ottawa police arson investigator Sgt. Dave Christie said at the scene that another woman was able to escape the blaze.
The arson squad was investigating as a matter of protocol, Christie said, adding: “We have nothing that leads us to believe” the fire was intentionally set.
Firefighters were called to the multi-storey, eight-unit residential building at 58 Barnstone Dr. shortly after 2 a.m., and immediately declared the scene a working fire.
A second alarm was declared out of fear the fire would spread to adjoining homes.
Firefighters launched a defensive attack, fighting the flames from outside following a partial collapse of the roof. They had to climb on the roof and cut a hole to channel flames away from the adjacent roofs.
The two victims were found as firefighting operations were winding down. They were later confirmed dead.
The third victim, a woman in her early 50s, was taken to hospital, apparently suffering from smoke inhalation. Paramedics reported she was in stable condition upon arrival at hospital.
A neighbour who lives in a building facing the fire said she had cracked her window before falling asleep. She awoke to a smell like burning rubber, opened her curtain and realized her bedroom was full of smoke from the nearby blaze.
She woke her stepdaughter, and realizing the fire alarms hadn’t sounded, alerted her neighbours.
From her balcony, the neighbour could see fire crews working to douse the flames, and soaking the adjacent building with their hoses to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings in windy conditions.
“Firefighters did everything they could, given the windy weather and extreme fire conditions,” fire Chief Kim Ayotte said from the scene on Tuesday.
“Despite every effort, this fire ended tragically, and our hearts go out to the family and to all those affected by this incident.”
The fire department reiterated warnings that residents should have working smoke alarms on every level of their homes.
“If you can’t get to someone needing assistance, leave the home and advise the firefighters,” the department said. “Tell dispatchers and/or firefighters where the person is located.”
With many of us spending more time at home during the COVID -19 pandemic, don’t forget fire safety precautions: Don’t leave pots unattended on the stove, don’t charge electronics on flammable surfaces, and properly discard smoking materials.
Be sure to practise your home escape plan.
Ottawa Fire confirmed the residents of all eight apartments were displaced.
The fire was declared under control at 4:17 a.m.
Police and the Office of the Fire Marshal were called to investigate because the fire was fatal, and because of the high dollar damage, the fire department said.
With files from Wayne Cuddington. mgillis@postmedia.com