Firefighters rescued two tenants from third-floor balconies during a fire in an apartment in Ottawa’s Centretown neighbourhood.
The Ottawa Fire Services says 9-1-1 received a call just before 10 p.m. Thursday, reporting heavy smoke and flames coming from the third-floor of a building on Somerset Street West, near Bank Street, and at least one tenant was trapped.
When crews arrived on the scene, firefighters confirmed smoke and flames were visible from the front of the building and a resident was trapped on their third floor balcony needing to be rescued.
“Our first on scene ladder quickly set up to make the rescue while a secondary crew initiated a fast attack and made entry to the building,” the Ottawa Fire Services said. “Firefighters made their way to the third floor where they encountered heavy smoke conditions.”
The resident was successfully rescued off their balcony. An adult was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, according to the Ottawa Paramedic Service.
“Firefighters inside the fire unit were able to locate the flames through zero visibility conditions and extinguished the fire before it could spread past the area of origin,” officials said.
Another tenant was rescued at the back for the building because they were unable to exit their third-floor apartment due to the fire. Officials say the ladder truck repositioned and firefighters “successfully rescued” the tenant from their balcony.
Firefighters used high pressurized fans to ventilate the smoke out of the building.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.