Updated Aug.16: There has been another suspicious fire in Chinatown. See Fire at Somerset and Booth.
One of the five derelict houses on my street caught on fire tonight. Lots of fire trucks answered the call. Pretty exciting!
The fire was in an old house that’s set in behind the others, right next to Yangtze restaurant. Here are some firefighters and a ladder truck in the Yangtze parking lot.
The Yangtze kitchen staff came out to see what was going on. Were they ever surprised!
Action!
Here’s a firefighter going up the ladder.
Bunch of firefighters standing around… No! I’m sure they’re working. Everybody doesn’t have to go up the ladder.
Everyone from my street came rushing down to see the fire. Here they all are.
After a few hours they got the fire out. It was a very efficient operation, with maybe a little less adrenalin than most fires, because the house was known to be empty.
Here’s one more shot of a firefighter. He’s wondering when he gets to go up the ladder.
This morning.
Other than a few broken windows, the only sign of all the excitement is a bunch of discarded water bottles.
Update Aug.14: Here’s the Ottawa Citizen’s account of the fire, now called “suspicious.” (Peter Yeung is my landlord.)
Suspicious fire blankets street in smoke
Ciara Byrne
The Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
A suspicious fire in an abandoned house clouded Cambridge Street North in smoke last night.
Fire crews arrived shortly after 9 p.m. Residents who gathered at the scene near Bronson and Gladstone avenues said the firefighters began tearing the roof apart using chain saws.
Neighbours said they could smell noxious fumes from blocks away.
“I smelled burning plastic, followed by burning wood. It was thick enough for us to close all our windows,” said Scott Holliday who watched behind yellow tape as firefighters cordoned off the area.
The fire started in an abandoned structure, which is one of a row of five along the block.
Last night, firefighters were tearing the building apart, ripping through drywall as the fire smouldered between the walls.
Fire Capt. Jim Bloom said the fire was considered suspicious.
Area residents said they were not surprised that something like this has happened.
Peter Young, who owns several properties on the street, said the houses have been abandoned since November.
“The houses are unsafe,” he said, adding he wants to see them torn down.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2007
4 Comments
COOL! Hey do you think it was set to hurry up the process of dereliction?
Could be Patti.
Good work Robin!
Our motto: “All the news that you can see from my front porch.”