'Very scary': Spate of overnight fires strikes Vanier

Ottawa firefighters responded to three fires within a few blocks and a few hours of each other in Vanier overnight, including one where a man had to be rescued.

Firefighters first arrived to battle a fire at a home under construction on Deschamps Avenue, north of Montreal Road and east of the Vanier Parkway, around 12:10 a.m.

Crews saw heavy smoke and flames when they arrived a few minutes after being called, according to a news release from Ottawa Fire Services. It was later upgraded to a second alarm.

"The porch was on fire with very tall, very dramatic-looking flames," said Lucie Brandt, who lives on the block.

A fire then broke out just before 1 a.m. on Ste Anne Avenue near ​Joffre-Bélanger Way about 650 metres away.

Fire officials said a staircase on the outside of the building was on fire and flames later reached the roof. A man was rescued from the second floor of the building, fire officials said.

Five people were displaced by that fire, officials added.

"When I came outside the hydro [equipment] was exploding. The house was engulfed in flames. It was like something out of a horror movie," said neighbour Jerry Sirois.

"It was unbelievable and very scary."

Finally, firefighters were called to a third fire that started in a Montreal Road building between Lajoie and Begin streets around 3:25 a.m. This was about 500 metres from the Ste Anne Avenue fire.

The causes of all three fires are still under investigation. Ottawa Fire Services spokesperson Danielle Cardinal confirmed all three 911 calls indicated the fires started outside of each building.

The Ottawa police arson unit is involved as well, Cardinal said.

Paramedics said there were no significant injuries from any of the fires, adding they treated and released a cat at one scene.

Mobile users tap here for a map showing where the three fires happened.