Series of fires in region keeps crews busy
OPS responds to blazes at three homes, one vehicle within about 12 hours
Ottawa Fire Services were kept on their toes from Tuesday afternoon to early Wednesday, with four house fires around the city.
The action began at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 500 block of Besserer Street in Sandy Hill, where a 911 caller arriving home from work reported smoke inside their two-storey detached home. The caller also reported an elderly family member was still inside.
Firefighters arriving on the scene advanced a hose line through the front door and found that the elderly resident had used an extinguisher on a kitchen fire. Firefighters confirmed the flames had been extinguished and began opening up areas around the stove to ensure the fire had not extended into the walls.
Firefighters also began assessing and treating the elderly occupant for smoke inhalation.
Crews set up high-pressurized fans to ventilate the smoke out of the structure.
An OFS investigator was dispatched to the scene.
The second fire report was at 3:40 p.m. in the 4000 block of Leitrim Road in Gloucester, where a caller reported a truck on fire with several other vehicles close by in a salvage yard. Firefighters knocked down the fire before it could spread to the other vehicles and had it under control at 3:47 p.m.
There were no reported injuries.
At about 9:30 p.m., fire services were called to the 400 block of Donald B. Munro Drive in the Kinburn district after several callers reported smoke and flames coming from a two-storey single-family home.
The residence was completely engaged when firefighters arrived. A resident of the home told firefighters that everyone, including a dog, had exited safely from the home.
Firefighters advanced a number of hose lines and began with a defensive attack from the outside to try to extinguish enough of the flames so they could enter the home.
At about 10 p.m., crews had knocked down enough of the exterior flames to make their way inside the home. Heavy flames were confirmed to be in the attic, so firefighters began pulling down ceilings on the second floor to access the attic and extinguish the flames.
Live hydro wires to the home began to burn off and fall, creating a hazard for firefighters.
Two aerial ladders were used to attack the attic and roof fires.
Victim assistance was requested for three adults and four children displaced by the fire.
An OFS fire investigator will determine the cause and origin of the fire.
Finally, a fourth fire call was received at about 3:40 a.m. with a caller reporting a possible fire in their basement in the 2400 block of Church Street in North Gower.
Firefighters confirmed heavy black smoke coming from the front door of the two-storey single-family home.
Firefighters initiated a fast attack and advanced a hose line through the front door and began making their way through zero-visibility conditions to the basement.
The fire was in an area of the city with no hydrants, so firefighters shuttled in water using tanker trucks from a water source nearby.
Firefighters located the flames in the basement and quickly extinguished them before they could spread. The fire was declared under control at 4:16 a.m. Ventilation operations were set up to remove the smoke from the structure. The resident reported they were the only one home and had been able to exit without any injuries.
An OFS investigator was dispatched to the scene.