Two families are out of their homes and a family pet is dead after a fire in the city’s east end Saturday afternoon.
Firefighters responded to a call of a fire on Foxwell Street, near Innes Road, around 1:40 p.m. Saturday. Neighbours said they saw flames coming out of the windows of the rowhouse, a fire that started while no one was home.
Firefighters searching for residents found only a family dog in one of the upstairs bedrooms in the unit where the fire started.
Firefighters brought the dog, said to be a French mastiff, outside and spent about 15 minutes trying to revive the family pet, but to no avail.
Firefighter at the scene of a blaze 1335 Foxwell St. in Gloucester (Ottawa), Saturday, August 9, 2014. No one was injured, but a large dog perished despite a valiant effort by firefighters to resuscitate the animal.
“The last few fires that we have had we’ve had animals to take care of,” said Ottawa fire Capt. Paul Mombourquette.
“It does happen. We’re there to try and save everyone.”
Firefighters at the scene of a blaze 1335 Foxwell St. in Gloucester (Ottawa), Saturday, August 9, 2014. No one was injured, but a large dog (under yellow tarp, far left) perished despite a valiant effort by firefighters to resuscitate the animal.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
The top floors of the homes are both “severely damaged” and “uninhabitable,” said Mombourquette. He said there was severe smoke damage on the upper floors, and that firefighters had to take down much of the ceilings to see how the fire spread from one unit to the next.
No firefighters were injured. Many were hosed down to cool down and clean off.
“We want some of the crews to get back to the station. They have to get decontaminated (from) the insulation,” Mombourquette said.
Damages were estimated at $350,000.
Firefighters clean up after a blaze at Foxwell Street on Saturday.
