A section of Montreal Road remains closed to traffic after a three-alarm fire destroyed a commercial building in Vanier on Thursday evening, Ottawa’s fire department says.
Firefighters were called to 81 Montreal Rd. — east of the downtown core — just before 6:45 p.m. by an employee who works in the two-storey building, which houses a pawn shop, an appliance store and a church.
Fire crews noticed that the building’s structure was starting to deteriorate “quickly” in smoky conditions, according to a news release from the fire department late Thursday.
Firefighters then found flames in many places on “multiple floors and walls,” the release said.
The building began to show signs of collapse, forcing firefighters to evacuate. First responders had initially declared a two-alarm fire but upped that to a three-alarm blaze.
Firefighters continued to battle the flames from outside the building and fought to protect the surrounding buildings, Ottawa Fire Services said.
As of 10:20 p.m. Thursday night, no injuries had been reported, according to the fire department.
At that time, firefighters were still fighting the fire and had requested heavy equipment to assist with their operations and the demolition of the building.
As of 10 a.m. Friday, Montreal Road remained closed to traffic between the Vanier Parkway and North River Road, according to Ottawa police.
An Ottawa fire investigator was sent to determine the cause of the fire.