Fire in Orléans: three houses damaged, one firefighter injured

A fire in the Orléans neighborhood of Ottawa seriously damaged three homes located on a residential street early Tuesday morning. While the occupants escaped unhurt, a firefighter suffered second-degree burns, first responders on the scene said.

Emergency services responded to a call around 5:45 a.m. on a street in the area Chapel Hill Southin east Ottawa.

Firefighters arrived on scene within minutes, according to Ottawa Fire Department media relations officer Nicholas DeFazio.

When they arrived, two single-family homes were engulfed in flameshe told - on site.

Flames were coming from the roofs of the two houses, with several surrounding houses at risk of catching fire, he added.

As firefighters struggled to contain the fire in the two burning homes, they also had to work to keep the fire from spreading.

The firefighters protected the entire back street, they protected one of the houses on the side, and a third house had already caught fire and they put it out before the flames engulfed the entire houseexplained Mr. DeFazio.

Eight people were in the three houses when the fire broke out in the middle one. All occupants escaped without injury, but one firefighter suffered second-degree burns to his hand.

The three houses are now uninhabitable.

Firefighters brought the fire under control around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, but they continued to water the burning houses.

Police asked people to avoid the area. The Crescent Nature Trail on Chemin Pagé is closed due to an ongoing firewrote the Ottawa Police Service on the social network

With information from CBC News