Vacant house destroyed in Chinatown fire

CTV Ottawa: Fire destroys abandoned home CTV’s Catherine Lathem tells us how a raging fire in Chinatown nearly spread to the church next door

Parishioners of an Ottawa church are counting their blessings after a fire next door came too close for comfort.

Ottawa firefighters were called to an abandoned home at 13 Lebreton Street North in the city’s Chinatown neighbourhood around 1am Tuesday, September 7.  The smoke and flames so thick, crews quickly called in a third alarm in a defensive attack.

“I looked out the window and the flames were close to our place and I thought we need to get out of here quickly,” Kaitlin Griggs told CTV News.  Griggs lives in an apartment next door, inside the building owned by the Annunciation Orthodox Cathedral.  The church also backs onto the vacant home.

Griggs’ Dad, Father James Griggs, is the church’s Reverend, “We were told by the fire department a few more minutes, it would have taken into the attic and he said he was actually amazed that the building (church) was not burned down.”

Father James calls Ottawa firefighters a true blessing, for all of their hard work to not only save the church and building, but also protect what was in it, “I can’t imagine a building burning to the ground and spreading to a second older building and having not only the time, but the thought to look after these things of ours.”

Ottawa Fire Services Danielle Cardinal says after firefighters determined no one was in the home, and the tenants of the neighbouring apartments were safe, the priority turned to saving the church, building and its contents, “going into that building because it is linked to the church and trying to grab artifacts, that were then put into a safer part of the adjoining building.”

The property at 13 Lebreton Street North is slated for development; neighbours say it had been abandoned for about a year and a half.  Recently neighbours say the property was being used as a dumping ground, and at times they saw people coming in and out.

Arson investigators are now trying to determine the cause of the suspicious blaze.

Kaitlin Griggs and three of her neighbours are all now temporarily homeless, but say they all have places to stay.

“Everybody got out safely,” says Griggs, “there was nobody in the house next door, thank God, and we have our church building.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Ottawa Police.