Woman jumps from 2nd floor to escape fire in Ottawa townhouse

Residents of a south Ottawa co-op are in shock after a fire gutted several townhomes Thursday morning. CTV’s Stefan Keyes reports.

A previous version of this story said all six homes in a townhouse building were damaged, but Ottawa Fire Services PIO Nick DeFazio later clarified two of the six homes in the row were protected. — A woman jumped from the second floor to escape a fire in a townhome in Ottawa’s south end early Thursday morning.

At least 10 people have been displaced and five townhouses were damaged by the fire on Mésanges Drive, near Albion Road. The Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate the cause of the fire.

Ottawa Fire Services received several 9-1-1 calls just before 4:30 a.m. Thursday, reporting flames and smoke coming from several attached townhomes.

“Callers also reported debris falling from windows and the possibility of residents still inside,” Nick DeFazio, Ottawa Fire Services Public Information Officer, told CTV News Ottawa.

“Firefighters arrived on scene two minutes after being dispatched and confirmed that three townhomes were fully engulfed in flames at the rear.”

DeFazio said crews launched an “aggressive attack,” with multiple hose lines set up and two aerial ladders deployed to battle the fire from above.

A second alarm was declared at 4:30 a.m. to dispatch more firefighters to the scene.

“The fire had extended into the attics of all three units. Firefighters began thorough searches of the homes while opening walls and ceilings to reach hidden flames,” DeFazio said.

No occupants were found inside the homes. The fire was declared under control at 5:04 a.m.

An Ottawa Paramedic Service spokesperson said a woman in her 50s jumped from a second-floor window to escape the fire. She was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A man was treated for smoke inhalation.

Photos posted to social media by Ottawa Fire Services photographer Scott Stilborn showed extensive damage to the back of the attached townhomes. DeFazio said four of the six homes in one townhouse row were damaged, while the other two were protected. A separate townhome next door was damaged by heat.