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A lady suffered severe burns and a male companion was additionally injured after a propane tank caught hearth at an encampment beneath the St. Patrick Road bridge Saturday afternoon.
The girl suffered second-degree burns to her again, legs, face and arms whereas the person suffered minor burns to his again within the hearth, which broke out beneath the bridge at about 2:30 p.m. The pair have been sheltering in a hutch constructed with tarps and a box-spring mattress, and had lit the hearth for warmth, stated Nick DeFazio, public data officer for Ottawa Fireplace Providers.
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The fireplace was reported by a number of calls to 911 and firefighters may see thick, black smoke billowing from beneath the bridge as they approached, he stated. The person and the lady had already escaped and met firefighters up at avenue stage as they arrived, he stated. Firefighters assessed and handled them each whereas they waited for paramedics to reach.
It took firefighters about quarter-hour to carry the flames, which have been whipped by robust winds, beneath management. They needed to name for a second pumper truck after emptying the primary truck of its water provide. A number of 20-pound propane tanks have been discovered on the encampment, which was destroyed by the hearth.
Fires at such encampments are an rising threat because the variety of encampments develop and the climate will get colder. Saturday’s temperature dipped to -11 C, however a brisk 40 km/h wind made it really feel extra like -18.
On Wednesday, firefighters responded to a different hearth at an encampment close to Tremblay Highway. There have been no accidents in that blaze. In different municipalities, nonetheless, fires have been lethal. Final month, three folks died in a fireplace in a shed the place they’d been sheltering outdoors a Calgary dwelling enchancment retailer, whereas in Edmonton, two folks have been killed and a 3rd injured in an encampment hearth.
The Metropolis of Ottawa estimates about 275 individuals are sleeping outdoors in tents or different makeshift shelters.
“We don’t need anybody burning fires in these kind of buildings, as a result of clearly it’s a really excessive threat,” stated DeFazio, who added that the hearth service started to trace the variety of calls it receives for encampments.
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