Investigators said early signs are pointing to the car as the potential cause of a massive garage and house fire in Kanata Wednesday night.
Two families of five are homeless after the fire destroyed one house and charred the attic and siding of the next home over, which belonged to former Ottawa Senator and current Carleton Ravens coach Shaun Van Allen.
Damage is estimated at $850,000 combined.
Families milled around the scene of the fire on Thursday where just hours earlier, flames had flared high into the night and an 85-year-old woman had to be rescued with the help of a neighbour.
"We ran into the house, he snatched her out . . . and brought her out," said neighbour Steve Bergeron, who retrieved the woman with the help of one of the owners. "I grabbed them and just made them get out of the house."
That woman, a grandmother to the family whose house was destroyed, was on dialysis and unable to move around by herself.
"It's not heroic. It's not heroic. I just did what any neighbour would do," Bergeron said. "Somebody needed a hand. I just gave them a hand."
Neighbours said the events are inspiring them to review their fire safety exit plans so their families can escape without injuries like these ones.
"You need to listen to those warnings," said one neighbour. "They're saying them for a reason."
"It just went boom," said neighbour Colleen Nolan. "When you think anyone could be sleeping and you don't know who could've been upstairs possibly."
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Stefan Keyes
