A charred exterior and a boarded up garage is what remains of Jennifer Enberg’s home after it went up in flames early Saturday morning.
“What woke me up was my son coming into our room saying, ‘Fire, get out,’” she said. “So myself, my one son and his girlfriend and my husband ran out the back door and my other son ran out the front.”
The family lives on Kittiwake Drive in Stittsville. Most of the family escaped into the back yard barefoot and in pyjamas but they were trapped, as piles of snow blocked their only way out.
“The firefighters busted down the gate and got us to the fire truck,” said Enberg.
Ottawa Fire Services reported the fire just before 5:30 a.m. and said a second alarm was called because of the cold. Temperatures had plunged below -30 C.
The family was treated for frostbite and smoke inhalation while Enberg's husband Mike suffered minor burns on his left hand.
“We grew up in that house, raised a family in that house. All the memories... It’s gone,” he said.
OFS spokesperson Nick DeFazio told CTV News Ottawa that several pets, including a frog, a lizard, a gecko, and a bird, were rescued from the home.
The fire at the Enbergs' home was one of six fires that Ottawa firefighters battled on Saturday as extreme cold gripped the capital. Crews responded to three fires overnight, a fourth later in the morning, and two more during the day.
Ottawa Fire Services's Gwen Lewis said the six fires Saturday were all over the city.
She adds that families should be ready in case a fire does break out.
“We can do our best to prevent fires and, if a fire was to happen, that’s when your working smoke alarm comes into play and your home escape plan,” said Lewis.
Meanwhile, the Enbergs are trying to pick up the pieces, anticipating it will take some time before they can assess the damage. The frigid temperatures caused a buildup of ice throughout the structure.
“We were in there 21 years. That was our home,” Jennifer Enberg said. “Hoping for it to warm a little bit and hopefully we can get in.”
As Joe Biden makes his first trip to Canada as president of the United States, CTVNews.ca is offering live coverage of the leader's visit. Follow our live blog on CTVNews.ca and the CTV News app for the latest updates.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived on Parliament Hill saying that he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "have a lot to talk about," but that it's great to be in Canada.
Notable people will be in attendance at Friday’s gala dinner with U.S. President Joe Biden, hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum, including former prime ministers and celebrities.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Sky-gazers and shutterbugs across much of Canada were treated to a spectacular display of northern lights Thursday night and into Friday morning.
The United States' first lady was given a sweeping introduction to Canadian sports culture in Ottawa today as Sophie Gregoire Trudeau took Jill Biden to the curling rink.
W5 investigates aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. Watch W5's 'Something in the Water' Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.
Short-term rental company Airbnb says it will pull listings that don't have a proper permit from the Quebec government. The San Francisco-based company made the announcement eight days after a fatal fire destroyed an Old Montreal building that housed illegal rentals.
An Ontario couple has filed a request with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) to appoint a new police force to investigate the death of their 17-year-old son Benjamin, who died during a hockey team-bonding event in September 2019.
A mix of snow and rain that began Thursday morning and afternoon in the Maritimes has led to some messy road conditions in the region.
Police say a woman is in hospital following a shooting in west Saint John, N.B., early Friday morning and three suspects have been arrested.
Housing advocates in Nova Scotia say the provincial budget neglects people struggling with affordability and those on the edge of experiencing homelessness.
An astrophotographer from southern Ontario captured Thursday night’s display of the Aurora Borealis and has offered some tips and tricks for catching a glimpse of them yourself tonight.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Security footage from a Hamilton beauty salon shows the moment in which an esthetician was allegedly attacked by a client after a disagreement over services.
Short-term rental company Airbnb says it will pull listings that don't have a proper permit from the Quebec government. The San Francisco-based company made the announcement eight days after a fatal fire destroyed an Old Montreal building that housed illegal rentals.
Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could see asylum seekers turned back at irregular border crossings across the border, including Roxham Road in Quebec.
For the first time, the owner of a building in Old Montreal has responded to questions about the fire — through his lawyer — addressing allegations that the building was unsafe.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
CTV News has learned an Ontario Provincial Police sergeant with 22 years of service has been charged in Sudbury with criminal harassment.
North Bay police say they are looking for two men last seen in the downtown area and are asking the public for help in finding them.
A London man was arrested early Friday morning after being spotted throwing a cinder block through the front door of a restaurant, according to police.
A serious crash at the corner of Highbury Avenue and Oxford Street has sent a man to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
For the past three years, there have been a lot fewer places to drop off your well water samples in Grey-Bruce.
A Manitoba First Nation is enacting measures to combat an ongoing drug and addiction crisis while also calling on the federal and provincial governments to do more to address drug-related deaths within northern remote Indigenous communities.
Manitoba’s labour force is growing at a rate to supply enough workers for available positions into 2026, according to the province’s labour market outlook.
Manitobans were treated to a stunning display of the northern lights on Thursday night, as the sky was lit up with swirls of green.
An uncommon phenomenon lit up the skies across southern Ontario on Thursday night, including in Waterloo region where the aurora borealis – also known as the northern lights - shone bright enough to see with the naked eye.
It might be a sign of change in the pandemic that has gripped the world for three years, as the regional COVID-19 cold and flu care clinic run by Grand River Hospital is closing its doors.
The process to find the new site for a proposed joint hospital in Kitchener-Waterloo is underway.
Calgary police have released photos of a man and vehicle believed to be involved in a case of road rage last month that left the victim with substantial injuries.
The Calgary Police Service confirms charges have been laid against a driver in connection with Thursday's crash of a semi-truck into the 32nd Avenue N.E. overpass along Deerfoot Trail.
The Calgary Fire Department pulled a man off the ice of the Bow River Friday morning but his chances of survival remain up in the air.
The SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival has announced its 2023 ticketed lineup.
A 13-year-old girl with a budding career as a DJ is bringing the music industry to her home community of Mistawasis First Nation to inspire Indigenous youth.
Many residents across Saskatchewan had a prominent view of the Aurora Borealis also known as the Northern Lights Thursday night and Friday morning and are sharing the pictures they captured with CTV News.
The procession is scheduled to leave the Alberta Legislature grounds toward Rogers Place at approximately 11:45 a.m.
A tuition increase of 5.5 per cent for domestic students and international students who were admitted before the start of the 2020 academic year was approved by the University of Alberta Friday morning.
The City of Beaumont says one of its community peace officers was threatened while issuing a parking ticket.
A micro suite in Vancouver is being rented for $700 a month—a steep price considering the space is just 150 square feet.
A popular fish and chips eatery in Richmond is set to close this month after more than two decades in business.
The City of Vancouver has asked a group of volunteers keeping vigil over a temporary residential school memorial at the Vancouver Art Gallery to remove the tribute.
A husband and wife currently travelling from British Columbia to New Brunswick are hoping Regina police will be able to track down a box containing the ashes of a loved one after it was allegedly stolen from their vehicle.
Two cars that have become a curiosity in Regina's north end are slowly emerging from a massive pile of snow as the spring thaw starts in the Prairies.
RCMP said crews are currently on the scene of a serious motor vehicle collision about three kilometres east of Langenburg, Sask. on Highway 16.
