More than 200 residents of a Sandy Hill apartment building have been displaced after water from the sprinkler system caused significant damage following an oven fire Wednesday morning. Emergency crews were called to 550 Wilbrod Street, near Charlotte Street, around 9 a.m. The fire on the eighth floor was put out by the building’s sprinkler system but water travelled down multiple floors and caused part of the ceiling to collapse in the lobby. To stop further damage, Ottawa firefighters placed a hose over the sprinkler head and redirected water out of a window to stop further damage. They also assisted multiple residents in retrieving essential belongings. “Numerous apartments are affected by the water and have water damage. Firefighters are doing salvage operations to protect the personal belongings of the residents,” said public information officer with Ottawa Fire Services Nick Defazio. No injuries were reported. The water damaged Juliet Chukwuma’s unit. “I stepped down and I’m feeling water on my feet. I just grabbed my purse and put on what I can… but when I was going out the unit beside mine, I was hearing like something like showers," she said. “Underneath, the wall there’s like water literally coming in so I could see the source of where the water was coming into my room, it was from under the wall,” she said. Power and water to the building have been shut off until further notice. All 122 units were evacuated. The Canadian Red Cross assisted residents at the scene. OC Transpo buses were brought in to keep residents and their pets cool. The city has opened a nearby community centre for displaced residents.
