Six people have been displaced from their home following an overnight fire in Carp.
Ottawa Fire Service says the blaze on Burnt Lands Road broke out around 11:30 Saturday, January 6th. It took roughly 50 firefighters until about 2:00 Sunday morning to stop the losses.
A neighbour, also a volunteer firefighter, noticed flames on the roof and called 911. The family was not home at the time of the fire.
It is believed the fire started in the chimney before spreading into the garage. Damages are estimated to be around $500,000.
OC Transpo brought in a bus to help keep firefighters warm in the -35 degree weather with the wind-chill. A second alarm fire was declared to help bring more crews to the area, not because of the size of the fire but because of the cold and requirement to rotate firefighters more frequently.
"In the summer time you can circulate the man power two or three times, but in the winter time the members are getting circulated through just once before they have to leave the scene to warm up and get new equipment," said Rod Fleck, a Platoon Chief with Ottawa Fire Services.
Firefighters say the frigid temperatures make it more challenging to fight fires, given the risk of frostbite, slips and falls and hoses and nozzles that freeze up easily.
"It makes the job that much more complicated," Fleck says. "Simple fires turn into very complicated incidents very quickly."
Ottawa Police Services, Ottawa Paramedic Services, Enbridge and Hydro on scene.
Ottawa Fire says a family of six has been displaced and is living in hotel.