'To look at it, it's unbelievable': surveying damage after devastating Orleans house fire

One day after a devastating fire in Orléans that destroyed two homes and significantly damaged a third, friends and neighbours are rallying around those impacted by the massive blaze that spread quickly.

"I know everything in this house. I know where to look for a screwdriver. I've slept here many a night and to look at it, it's unbelievable," said Nancy Hunt, a friend of one of the homeowners who went to the scene on Noblewood Way to see the extent of the damage herself. "To know that it's never going to be there again. And I can't imagine what my friend's going through."

Hunt says her friend's teenage son got up to use the bathroom early Tuesday morning and noticed smoke.

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

"They got up immediately and came downstairs, grabbed the dogs," said Hunt. "Dan, her boyfriend, looked behind and already the living room was already engulfed in flames and they stood out here and watched her place burn."

The fire then spread to the homes on either side.

The family's two cats are missing. Hunt brought a carrier and treats with her to the area to see if she could find them.

Eleven people have been displaced by the fire that officials say spread quickly in part because the homes are so close together.

Ottawa Fire Services and the Ontario Fire Marshal's office are investigating.

"We sort of start with the area of least damage moving towards the area of greatest damage," said Darian Stevenson, a fire prevention officer with Ottawa Fire. They're " searching for both the area of origin and any potential ignition sources within that area of origin," he said.

All of the homes had working smoke alarms. Investigators have not yet determined an official cause.

An overhead photo of the damage done to homes on Noblewood Way as a result of an early morning fire Nov. 5, 2024. (Ottawa Fire Services/supplied)

"This investigation could take a few days but there was some traction online saying this was started by an EV car fire. I can confirm that that's not the case here," said Nick DeFazio, Ottawa Fire's public information officer.

A GoFundMe page has been started to help raise money for one of the family's impacted and neighbours are mobilizing too.

"I've got some dishes, I've got pillows, I've got blankets, I've got things that are extra to me that I could donate," said Gerri Mulley. "And I'm sure that if we all went through our homes, we would find things that we can let go or we're thinking of donating somewhere else maybe these people can make use of it."

Hunt says her friends will have to start over.

"They need everything, they came out with the clothes on their back," she said. "People hear this story all the time. It's different when it hits home."