Five people are homeless and two pets presumed dead after a scented candle sparked a fire overnight in south Ottawa.
Carmen Mayer said she couldn't believe how fast the fire grew after the candle sparked or dripped wax onto her blanket just before 2 a.m. Tuesday.
"The next (moment) it was taller than me and there was so much black smoke," she said.
When firefighters arrived to the townhome at 3250 Downpatrick Road, they said Mayer was out of unit 75 and extra crews were called in to try and stop it from spreading.
"There was smoke damage and there was water damage to the two neighbouring units, and the main unit that caught fire is pretty much totally gutted," said Ottawa Fire Services spokesperson Marc Messier.
Mayer said her eight-year-old daughter Madison was staying overnight with her grandmother when the fire happened, but she had her dog and cat to try and rescue.
"The black smoke was burning me," she said. "It was so hot and dark and I couldn't see anything, like even with the bright flames that smoke is so thick."
Her dog Bella was found dead, with her cat Lexie still missing.
The fire ended up causing $500,000 damage to the building and $250,000 to its contents, leaving Mayer in a hotel room for the night.
"I wish I could go home to my dog and cat and I wish I could have the house and I wish it never happened," she said. "I feel helpless and I have absolutely nothing, nothing to go home to."
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Norman Fetterley
