9 people displaced following fire in Ottawa’s Lowertown neighbourhood

Firefighters battle a fire in a duplex on Guigues Avenue in Ottawa’s Lowertown neighbourhood. (Scott Stilborn/Ottawa Fire Services)

Nine people have been displaced following an overnight fire in Ottawa’s Lowertown neighbourhood.

The Ottawa Fire Services received multiple 9-1-1 calls at 12:10 a.m. Wednesday, reporting a fire in a house on Guigues Avenue, between Cumberland Street and King Edward Avenue.

Public Information Officer Nick DeFazio said firefighters discovered flames on the side of the two-and-a-half storey semi-detached duplex, with flames extending up to the roof.

A second alarm was declared at 12:30 a.m. to dispatch additional fire resources to the scene.

“Two full searches of the structure confirmed no occupants were inside,” DeFazio said.

“Firefighters also conducted salvage operations, using tarps to protect belongings from smoke and water damage.”

No one was hurt in the fire.

An investigator is now searching for the cause of the blaze.

In August, eight people and three children were displaced in a fire in a building on Guigues Avenue.