Several people displaced by 2-alarm blaze in Orleans

Several people have been forced out of their homes by a major fire in Orléans overnight.

Ottawa firefighters were called to a three-storey terrace home on Lakeridge Drive near Harvest Valley Avenue at 11:56 p.m. Friday. Several 911 calls reported people, including children, were trapped inside.

Ottawa Fire Services spokesperson Nick DeFazio tells CTV News Ottawa everyone had gotten out of the building safely and searches of all 12 units turned up no one.

At least four units were severely damaged by the fire. Seven people lived in those four units, residents said, including a family with a young child. Some of the people who were displaced are staying with family, while the Red Cross is putting others up in hotels.

Initial reports DeFazio provided early Saturday morning said at least seven units were affected by the blaze and more than 10 peole have been displaced. 

No one has been reported hurt. Ottawa paramedics said they did not treat or transport anyone from the scene.

The blaze was under control by 12:49 a.m. Saturday.

Residents reported hearing a loud sound, like an explosion, before flames began spreading.

"We just prepared ourselves for bed and all of sudden we hear this loud sound. My wife looked from the window and saw flames," said Mahmoud Shawiesh. "We didn’t have a chance to get anything out. My daughter was sleeping, so we just picked her up and ran to the door."

Raymond Hogarth ran out of the house with nothing but what he was wearing.

"I was just going to bed. I got woken up by an explosion and my room filling with smoke. That fight-or-flight really automatically activates and you run. So, I ran out, didn't grab anything.

"All I have, all I own now is this," he said, gesturing to his clothes. "It's unfortunate but, at the same time, the most important thing got out: my life." 

There has been no word as to the cause of the fire. The office of the Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to assist in the investigation because of the extent of the damage.

--With reporting from CTV News Ottawa's Jackie Perez.

TWO OTHER FIRES SINCE MIDNIGHT

Firefighters were also called to two other fires since midnight.

At 2:23 a.m., crews were called to an unoccupied unit in a rowhouse on Beausoleil Drive in Lowertown.

The fire was under control by 2:45 a.m. No one was reported hurt.

Later in the morning, several 911 callers said smoke was coming from a home on Russell Road just after 8:25 a.m.

The fire was out by the time firefighters arrived, but there was a significant amount of smoke that needed to be ventilated with fans.

No injuries were reported in this fire, either. 

Ottawa police had closed a stretch of Russell Road between Walkley Road and Southvale Crescent while crews dealt with the blaze.