Ottawa firefighters battle blaze at south end auto shop

Ottawa firefighters quickly doused a two-alarm blaze at an auto shop in the city’s south end Tuesday afternoon. 

Heavy flames and thick, black smoke could be seen coming from Mac Street, south of Hunt Club Road.

Ottawa Fire Services spokesperson Nick DeFazio said several people called 9-1-1 at around 2:18 p.m. 

“There was a vehicle on fire that had spread to multiple vehicles and a 45-foot trailer full of tires had caught fire as well,” he told CTV News Ottawa. “Firefighters did a great job in containing the fire in less than an hour. It was under control just before 3 o’clock.” 

Firefighters protected the nearby building, keeping it from catching fire. The hazardous materials (hazmat) team set up a decontamination line to clean the personal protective gear of fire crews due to the high level of hydrocarbons and carcinogens caused by the fire. 

No one was reported hurt.

DeFazio said several hydro wires came down, causing hazards for firefighters at the scene. The nature of the blaze also required some additional precautions.

“We did block some sewers so that the runoff from the water didn’t go into the city sewers and making sure that the local businesses and residents shut their windows and weren’t affected by the air quality,” he said.

A fire investigator has been sent to the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire.