Orleans home destroyed in fire
Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Brier Dodge
Click to Enlarge
EMC news - An Orleans home was destroyed Feb. 6 after a basement fire spread throughout the house. 
Brier Dodge, Metroland
Firefighters leave the scene of a blaze at on Orleans home, with the damaged upper level visable in the background. Ottawa Fire Services credited smoke alarms for saving the lives of the two adults inside when the fire started.
The 1547 Champneuf Dr. residence was home to a couple and their two children, neither of whom were at home when the fire happened.
The couple woke just before 7:30 a.m. when their smoke alarm went off, and they immediately evacuated the home.
Sean Culkin, who lives several streets over, had just gotten on an OC Transpo bus to go to school when he saw thick smoke coming from the house and the couple standing on their front lawn.
He got off the bus and called 911, and the operator told him that fire trucks had already been dispatched and were on their way.
"I saw the smoke so I just got off the bus," Culkin said. "I thought it was from a fireplace, but there was way too much smoke for a chimney."
He said the couple appeared in shock and kept asking if it was a dream while they waited for firefighters to arrive.
After 45 minutes of heavy smoke, he said he could see the fire had spread by the flames coming out of the top floor windows and eventually burning through the roof.
When firefighters arrived, there was heavy smoke throughout the house. They left to fight the fire from outside because of damage to the main floor, which later collapsed.
Because of the risk to neighbouring homes, the fire was upgraded to a three alarm fire, upping the number of responding personnel, said Marc Messier of Ottawa Fire Services.
There were at least ten fire trucks that responded, along with other emergency services personnel.
It took them two hours to get the fire under control, extinguishing flames by 9:30 a.m.
"I've never seen something like this before," Culkin said of the number of emergency responders and vehicles.
While Ottawa Fire Services believes the fire started in the basement, they are unsure of the cause. The fire caused $400,000 in damage.
Ottawa Fire Services also responded to an unrelated small, appliance-based fire on Westport Cres., one block away from the Champneuf Dr. residence the day before, Feb. 5.
blog comments powered by Disqus
