Firefighters battle blaze at sugar shack

Firefighters battled a fire at Vanier’s neighbourhood sugar shack early Thursday morning, in an operation that was described as “defensive,” after the structure had partially collapsed. They were summoned by a 5:53 a.m. 911 call in which smoke and flames were reported visible in the forest behind the Centre Richelieu-Vanier and the caller was able to confirm from a safe distance that the shack was on fire. Firefighters arrived four minutes later to find smoke and flames coming through the roof of the building and that a section had collapsed. Crews attacked the fire from the outside through the doors and roof. They remained on the scene to make sure the fire was completely extinguished. A fire investigator attended to determine the cause. Hours earlier, crews battled a fire on Russell Road near Hall Road that left three or four residents displaced, a representative of Ottawa Fire Services said, adding, “Firefighters credit working smoke detectors for alerting the residents to evacuate immediately, which saved their lives.” The residents of 6073 Russell Rd. called 911 at 11:07 p.m. reporting there was smoke inside and they could see flames through a window. Firefighters found a fire burning on the main floor of the two-storey house and worked to douse the flames and keep them from spreading upstairs, but the house is not habitable. A fire investigator was on the scene to determine the cause.