2 teens charged with arson in connection with Sandy Hill house fire

The aftermath of a major fire in Sandy Hill on Feb. 1 (Katelyn Wilson/CTV News Ottawa)

Two Ottawa teenagers have been arrested on charges of arson in connection with a fire that broke out at a residence in Sandy Hill near the University of Ottawa earlier this month.

The fire destroyed a six-unit residence that broke out on Feb. 1 in the 100 block of Osgoode Street.

The fire caused one resident to be taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and three Ottawa firefighters sustained minor injuries, according to Ottawa Fire Services.

In addition, two tenants, who were the only individuals living in the units at the time, lost most of what they own. The two had recently won a renoviction dispute with their landlord and had been planning to move out of the property.

A 2021 property inspection report commissioned by the tenants, found that much of the building was in disrepair and had several safety issues.

A news release by the Ottawa Police Service on Friday says the damage caused by the fire is estimated to be in the "millions of dollars."

Adrien Bussiere, 19, of Ottawa has been charged with:

A 17-year-old woman of Ottawa, who cannot be named as per the Youth Criminal Justice Act has been charged with:

Bussiere is scheduled to appear in court today and the woman will appear at a later date.

"The Arson Unit is appreciative of the public’s response to the OPS media release on Tuesday, that directly led to the identification and locating of the suspects," OPS said.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Arson Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 4587 or by email at [e-mail].

Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppers.ca.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Katelyn Wilson