4 people rescued, 60 displaced by major apartment fire

Ottawa Fire Servicesrescued four people from a burning apartment building in the city's Overbrook neighbourhood on Tuesday.

Shortly after 5p.m., firefighters responded to ablaze onPreslandRoad near the Vanier Parkway,just east of the city core.

About a dozen people had called 911 to reportsmoke and flames at the apartment building, the fire departmentsaid in a news release.

Upon arrival, firefighters found several residents trapped on their balconies and needingrescue. Firefightersset up ground ladders and rescued three adults and one child from the building.

The fire started in the top floor of the four-storey building and spread to the roof,Ottawa Fire Services' public information officer Nicholas DeFazio told CBC.

Witnesses described flames shooting from the roof of the buildingasthe fire burnedfor several hours.

Firefighters declared the blazeunder control just before 9 p.m. Tuesday, but as of 9 a.m.Wednesday, fire crewswere still stationed there to watch for flare-ups.

Two firefighters sufferedminor injuries, DeFaziosaid in an email Wednesday.

About 60 people displaced

About 60 people have been forced from their homes, he added. The Overbrook Community Centre, located about two blocks north at 33 Quill St., has been opened to support them.

The Canadian Red Cross is working with the City of Ottawa to support those impacted by the fire, a spokesperson told CBC, and Ottawa fire said the Salvation Army will be assisting as well.

Hydro Ottawa turned off power in the area during the incidentfor safety reasons, a spokesperson said in an email. The outage affectedroughly 2,100 customers at its peak.Hydro Ottawa saidaround 12:20 a.m. all outages were over.