Stittsville family recounts barefoot escape from devastating fire
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.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.