2 found dead after Barrhaven fire

The bodies of a woman, 81,and her adult son, 46, have been found in an eight-unit residential building on Barnstone Drive in Barrhavenfollowing a fire there early Tuesday morning.

Another woman, 51,was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation and is in stable condition. The injured woman is the daughter of the deceased woman, according to Sgt.David Christie ofthe Ottawa police arson unit.

Investigators are working to determine both the cause of death and the cause of the fire.

Christie said investigators have not deemed the fire suspicious,and said it's protocol for the arson unit to investigate when there's been a death.

Fatal fire in Barrhaven heartbreaking on top of COVID-19 pandemic, councillor says

5 years ago

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Nancy McCurdie says her mother, who lives in a neighbouring unit and was uninjured in the fire, has been displaced due to the damage. Coun. Carol Anne Meehan says the priority is now finding temporary homes for those who have nowhere else to go.

Fire crews were calledto the home near the Vimy Memorial Bridge at 2:10 a.m.

The fire spread from the unit where it originated, prompting firefighters to call for backup. At one point firefighters had to retreat due to the intensity of the flames, which caused part of the roof to collapse.

The fire wasdeclared under control at about 4:15 a.m.

Ontario Fire Marshal investigators were also called to the scene Tuesday morning. Officials are trying to assess the damage to the rest of the building.

Neighbours displaced

Fire officials said residents from all eightunits of thebuilding have been displaced.

NancyMcCurdie's 83-year-old motherlivesin the unit next door to where the bodies were discovered. Her unit was badly damaged.

"She's definitely shaken, but she's strong," McCurdie said. "She called us at about 3 o'clock in the morning [to say] that there was a fire. It was controlled chaos at that time."

It's bad any time, but right nowIjust feel so bad for everyone because we're dealing with COVID.- Coun. Carol Anne Meehan

The area's city councillor,Carol Anne Meehan, was also at the scene on Tuesday morning.

"It's heartbreaking. It's bad any time, but right nowIjust feel so bad for everyone because we're dealing with COVID, and now we've got people displaced, and people have lost family," Meehan said. "My heart just goes out to everybody affected. It's just awful."

Investigators on scene said they were trying to take precautions in light of the pandemic, but it's difficult to maintain social distancing measures when responding to an emergency.

"We still have to dowhat we have to do. We'll try and do as best we can, keeping ourselves safe and wearing our masks.We still have to go in there. We're still going to have to deal with the situation," Christie said.

Because so many are self-isolating, fire officials said it'smore important than ever to take proper fire safety precautions.

"Don't leave cooking unattended, do not charge electronics on flammable surfaces, properly discard smoking materials, and practise your home escape plan," Ottawa Fire Services said in a statement.