An Ottawa Fire Services investigator is pointing to an improperly disposed of cigarette as the likely cause of a fire that lit up the roof of the Andaz hotel in the ByWard Market Tuesday evening.
An OFS spokesperson said crews arrived at the Andaz shortly after 9 p.m. on Tuesday after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting flames on the balcony of the hotel’s roof.
The fire attracted a fair share of attention on social media.
Firefighters made their way to the rooftop and found the deck and patio furnishings “consumed by flames.”
The fire was extinguished before flames could extend into the building from the rooftop. No injuries have been reported.
“An Ottawa Fire Services Investigator attended the scene and determined the fire likely originated from a cigarette discarded in a planter box,” the OFS spokesperson said in an email.
Initial damages are estimated at $30,000, the spokesperson said.
The Andaz said in a post on Instagram Wednesday morning that the rooftop remains closed.
OFS is using the incident as a chance to remind residents to dispose of cigarettes in an ashtray or metal can filled with water, as dry peat and mulch in planters can smoulder a long time before spreading.
Comments