No injuries reported following Barrhaven townhome complex fire

Ottawa Fire Services says crews battled a fire that engulfed a multi-unit terrace home complex in Barrhaven Friday night. (Ottawa Fire Services/ X)

Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) says no injuries were reported following a fire that engulfed a multi-unit housing complex in Barrhaven Friday night.

Firefighters say they received multiple calls reporting a townhome complex in the 2600 block of Longfield Drive was on fire.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, two minutes into the initial call, they found the backside of the three-storey complex engulfed in flames “from the main floor unit up to the attic,” says OFS.

That was when they started extinguishing the fire by advancing a hose line inside. To put out the flames inside, they had to pull down sections of soffit. Firefighters then had to cut holes in the roof using chainsaws to extinguish flames in the attic.

OFS says crews had to work carefully, as the balconies were at risk of collapsing.

No occupants were found inside.

The fire was declared under control at 11:21 p.m.

"A 'fire watch' system was put into place to have a truck remain on scene to monitor for any flare ups," said the fire service in a post on X.

Nathan Adams, deputy fire chief of training and safety with OFS, told CTV News Ottawa's Katelyn Wilson Saturday the complex had 12 residential units. The units that have been impacted are the one where the fire started and another adjacent unit. He notes that the occupants of these two apartments are temporarily displaced at this time.

"I know one unit had two people in it. We're not sure of the number of the residents that occupied the other unit," he added.

"There was extensive damage to the rear of the property from the fire itself. And then there will be additional smoke damage from the flames on the rear of the property up until the attic," he added.

While it's still early to determine the estimated cost of the damage, he notes that some extensive work to the balcony and to the exterior of the property is required.

The investigation into what led to the fire is ongoing.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Katelyn Wilson