Fire officials say an overnight blaze at a carport on Ottawa’s Pathway Private has destroyed three cars and damaged a home.
The fire broke out at the west-end residence just after midnight. Crews say when they arrived three cars were fully engulfed in flames.
The carport is near a string of row houses. Two people were displaced as a result. No injuries have been reported.
Investigators estimate a total of $250,000 in damages. They have yet to determine a cause. "They did manage to narrow down the point of origin which was the middle car of the three under the carport" says Ottawa Fire Services Information Officer Marc Messier.
The owner of that car lives across the street from the fire scene. James Paul could only watch helplessly as it literally exploded in front of him. "I was probably about ten metres away from the car when I guess they said the airbags deployed" he says.
He has no idea how the car caught fire. But people are wondering if it’s related to a string of smaller fires in the past month, fires they attribute to a gang of teenagers in the neighbourhood. In one instance a resident had garbage cans set ablaze. In another, Bryan Leeman woke early one morning to find a lawn chair on fire in his front entryway. Earlier that night, he had confronted a group of teens. “I said move along guys. You're keeping me awake you know? I said go over to the park or go over to this park over here. And one said oh payback's a bitch," says Leeman.
Investigators are so far not linking the car fire to arson or any previous fires. But the co-incidence has the people of Pathway Private wondering. Joanne Trudeau says "Three within a month, unexplained fires, is a little unnerving. I know I've heard a lot of people talking about moving."
