A man is in critical condition after being rescued and revived by firefighters following an apartment kitchen fire in Ottawa’s west end on Sunday. The Ottawa Fire Services says it received a 911 call reporting a fire inside a two-storey residential building in the 100 block of Lockhart Avenue at approximately 5:25 p.m. A caller reported there was heavy smoke on the top floor and one person was trapped inside the unit where the fire was located. Ottawa Fire Services spokesperson Nick DeFazio says firefighters entered the apartment and found a man with no vital signs. “They brought the victim outside where they assessed and treated the individual, started CPR and was able to get the pulse back and the breathing back of the individual,” DeFazio said in an interview with CTV News on Monday. “Continued to help with their breathing until our partners from paramedics arrived and took over care.” Ottawa paramedics spokesperson Tyler Leslie tells CTV News crews transported a man in his 50s to hospital in critical condition with inhalation injuries. Another man in his 70s was also assessed by paramedics at the scene but was not transported to hospital, Leslie said. Neighbour Magdaline Hepertor says she grabbed what she could after realizing there was a fire. “When I opened the door, there was already smoke in our exit area,” she said. “I just was rushing myself into going outside… and screaming to my partner I said, ‘go, wake up, wake up because there’s a fire.’” DeFazio says the fire was contained to the kitchen and was under control in less than half an hour. Residents of other apartment units were able to return to their homes. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. On Monday afternoon the Office of the Fire Marshall could be seen moving in and around the building. Hepertor says she’s grateful to the first responders. “I was so happy,” she says. “I said thank you to them, to my life, yesterday for the quick response right away to us.” With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Kimberley Johnson
