There's no word on the cause of a fire near Mann Avenue and Chapel Street that left 28 people homeless on Saturday afternoon -- a fire that closed Mann for several hours as investigators did their probe into the blaze.
Fire officials say the call for 130 Mann Ave. -- just east of the University of Ottawa -- came in around 12:08 p.m., and escalated to a third alarm half an hour later. The fire in the three-storey, multi-unit building was under control by 2:15 p.m.
It caused around $400,000 in building damage and $200,000 in contents damage. Investigators say it started in the second-floor rear balcony of one of the units, spreading to two others and also causing smoke and water damage to four other units.
The Red Cross and Salvation Army are taking care of the displaced residents that don't have friends or family to stay with, officials said.
