The Ottawa Paramedic Service says three adult women were taken to hospital following a fire that happened in a highrise on Ramsey Crescent in the early hours of Friday morning.
Paramedics told CTV News Ottawa the three women were transported to hospital in stable condition. They sustained smoke inhalation.
Meanwhile, 13 other residents were assessed and treated at the scene.
Firefighters say they received a call at 4:40 a.m. from a monitoring agency reporting alarms were sounding in a commercial highrise located in the 1000 block of Ramsey Crescent.
When firefighters arrived at the scene and saw flames coming out of the building, they declared a working fire, asking for additional resources to be dispatched to the scene. They then started fighting the fire until it was declared under control just after 5 a.m.
They then searched the building for occupants inside.
The residents of the building sheltered in an OC Transpo bus while firefighters were fighting the fire.
Crews used high pressurized fans to ventilate the residual smoke out of the structure.
The investigation into what led to the fire is ongoing.