Two dead following Centretown apartment fire

Ottawa paramedics say two people died following a fire at an apartment building in Centretown on Saturday.

Paramedics say they attended the scene of a fire 395 Somerset Street West at approximately 9:30 p.m. and treated five patients.

According to paramedics, two patients were declared deceased, one at the scene and one in hospital. Two others were transported to the hospital, one in critical condition and one having sustained minor injuries.

In a statement, Nick DeFazio, public information officer with Ottawa Fire Services, said the fire happened on the 19th floor of a residential high-rise building, and smoke was seen coming from the roof of the building.

“Firefighters responded to a serious high-rise apartment fire last night where crews worked quickly under extremely difficult conditions to rescue multiple residents trapped inside the unit,” DeFazio wrote.

According to DeFazio, an individual called 911 to report the fire, saying they were trapped outside on their balcony due smoke, flames and heat inside the apartment unit.

Fire crews located and removed three residents who were found unconscious inside the apartment, DeFazio says. Firefighters located a fourth person on the apartment balcony, who was conscious and who they helped safely remove them from the unit.

Firefighters also helped a neighbouring resident out of the building.

DeFazio says crews prevented the blaze from spreading to other units, and shortly after 10 p.m., the fire was declared under control.

“Ottawa Fire Services extends its deepest condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the residents who lost their lives in this tragic incident,” DeFazio wrote. “Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this call.”

In a media availability Sunday afternoon, DeFazio told reporters that firefighters did an “amazing job” by arriving on scene and containing the fire within 23 minutes.

The fire was contained to the unit and nearly all residents were able to return to their homes, he said. Residents in the apartment below will be displaced from residual water damage, he said.

DeFazio confirmed an e-bike was inside the apartment, however the cause of the fire remains unclear.

“It is one of the items that we are looking at in the investigation,” he told reporters.

“The cause is not clear. The fire could have spread to the e-bike or the e bike could have started the fire. At this time, it’s unknown.”

The fire is not being considered suspicious at this time, he said.

‘I was scared:’ resident recalls scene

Marc Giroux, a resident who lives on the 18^th floor, says his anxiety started going “up and up and up” after he found out there was a fire in the building.

“I didn’t feel good when they said it was on the 19^th floor. I was scared because I didn’t know if it would be close to mine,” Giroux said.

Giroux says he was unable to walk down the 18 flights of stairs, so he remained in his apartment, and thanks the emergency services for their quick response to the fire.

“They, acted when they were supposed to, cause that could have spread — oh, my God — so quickly, right?” he said. “The actions of the police the actions of the fire people they did an excellent job and I am very very proud of them.”

The apartment building is an Ottawa Community Housing property, and in a statement sent to CTV News, a spokesperson for the organization said they are working closely with emergency services, the City of Ottawa and other partners to support tenants.

“Ottawa Community Housing extends its deepest condolences following the tragic loss of life connected to the fire that occurred at 395 Somerset last night,” Chantal Genova, media relations and public information manager with Ottawa Community Housing, wrote.

“Our thoughts are with the family, loved ones, and community members impacted during this difficult time.”

In a statement on social media, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the fatal fire.

“My thoughts are with their loved ones and with everyone in the building and surrounding community who has been affected,” Sutcliffe wrote. “Thank you to the firefighters, paramedics, and police officers who responded quickly in very difficult circumstances.”

An Ottawa Fire Services Investigator and the Office of the Fire Marshal is working to determine the cause of the fire.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Kimberley Johnson

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