Commercial establishment also engulfed in flames in separate incident
An elderly resident died, and several firefighters were injured in a house fire in Ottawa on Saturday, according to Ottawa Fire Services.
The incident occurred in Barrhaven.
Shortly before 5 p.m. on Saturday, the Ottawa Fire Services Communications Division received multiple 911 calls reporting heavy black smoke and flames coming from a single-family home on the 0-100 block of Swilken Burn.
Upon arrival, firefighters confirmed that the home was fully engulfed in flames.
“There were reports of an elderly occupant inside the home who was unable to evacuate. Firefighters courageously attempted to get inside the structure to make a rescue. Due to the extreme heat, Firefighters were evacuated out of the structure,” Ottawa Fire Services said via social media platform X.
The resident, identified as a 73-year-old man, perished in the fire, according to an Ottawa Citizen report. The name of the deceased has not yet been released.
Several firefighters were also injured in the incident, according to CBC.
A second alarm was called at 5:02 p.m. to dispatch additional resources to the scene. Given the intensity of the blaze, firefighters transitioned to a defensive attack, battling the fire from the exterior. The fire was declared under control at 9:48 p.m.
“On behalf of the Ottawa Fire Services, I would like to send my deepest condolences to the family & friends of the resident who perished in the fire yesterday on Swilken Burn in the City's West end,” said Fire Chief Paul Hutt.
“Our thoughts are with everyone in our community who is affected by this tragedy.”
David Hill, councillor for Ward 3 - Barrhaven West, also said: “A sad day in Barrhaven. I am sorry for your loss.”
The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal is also investigating that fire, according to Ottawa Citizen.
Also on Saturday, firefighters rescued one person from a burning south end home. They also tackled fire at a commercial restaurant in the same area.
