WEST CARLETON – While it’s been a busy couple of weeks for firefighters, Ottawa Fire Services District 6 Chief Bill Bell says it’s impossible to blame the pandemic.

Three Saturdays ago (April 25), West Carleton firefighters battled two large brush fires in the Galetta and MacLaren’s Landing area. Last Wednesday (May 6) the firefighters were battling a brush blaze in Carp, 50 feet from a row of homes.

Last weekend the fires travelled from the bush to the garage as West Carleton volunteer firefighters attended a garage fire on both Friday (May 8) and Saturday (May 9).

Friday evening just before 6 p.m. Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) responded to a garage fire on Old Second Line Road between Murphy Side Road and March Road.

Bell told West Carleton Online urban (full time) firefighters were first on scene with their mini-pumper from Station 45 in District 4 but “Carp would have responded to that and Dunrobin as well.”

“OFS received a 911 call at 5:57 p.m. reporting a fire in an attached garage and everyone had safely evacuated the home,” OFS public information officer Jen McNeely released in a statement on May 8. “Crews arriving on location declared a working fire at 6:05 p.m. The fire was declared under control at 6:16 p.m. A loss stopped was declared at 6:41. There are no reported injuries.”

Bell, who was not on scene for either West Carleton weekend fire, says the May 8 fire appeared to involved hay and animal feed in the garage.

“There was minor damage to the garage door frame and exterior siding,” Bell said. “Crews got on scene really quick, controlled the fire and knocked it down, They were on scene in eight minutes and had it under control in 20 minutes. That’s a pretty good stop.”

Bell says 22 trucks and more than 65 firefighters attended the scene.

The following day, Saturday morning, West Carleton firefighters attended a second garage fire, this time on Carp Road near the Kinburn Side Road.

“At 07:20 a.m. OFS received a 911 call from the homeowner reporting the detached garage on the property was on fire,” McNeely said. “Ottawa fire subsequently received multiple 911 calls reporting heavy smoke coming from the area of Carp Road and Styles Side Road. While on route to the scene, crews confirmed smoke conditions, and declared a working fire before arrival.”

“Upon arrival, there were multiple vehicles fully involved with fire, including two out-buildings including a soft cover garage,” Bell said. “Crews concentrated their efforts on protecting the home which was exposed to radiated heat from the fire which was in close proximity. Once the home was protected, crews focused on putting out the vehicle and garage fires.”

Bell says fighting vehicle fires presents different challenges for firefighters.

“It’s basically what’s in the vehicle,” Bell said. “Fuel loads, propane tanks, fertilizer. We try to open the vehicles as fast as we can to put water on it.”

In this case, the vehicles weren’t the first priority.

“Those structures and vehicles were lost,” Bell said. “The focus was on protecting the home.”

Bell said the team did that and the damage to the house was limited to heat damage to the vinyl siding. Bell said 21 fire rigs and apparatus and 63 firefighters attended the scene.

“Crews had the fire knocked down and under control within 40 minutes,” Bell said. “Station 62 from Fitzroy Harbour were the first on scene and did a fantastic job of saving the home.”

Even though a fire investigator was dispatched to the scene, “there was too much damage and debris to identify the initial ignition point/cause.”

On Friday (May 8) evening the OFS responded to four working fires from Kinburn to Cumberland Village to Lowertown and Greely. There were a number of other calls for service over the weekend as well.

“We had a slew of calls,” Bell said.

Although residents of Ottawa are beginning their eighth week of lockdown due to the pandemic and corresponding state of emergency, it’s impossible to point the finger at COVID-19.

“It’s hard to pin, it can be many reasons,” Bell said. “Because people are home more, they’re cooking more, more campfires, kids are home. Maybe people are being complacent with the fires they are having. It’s not that people are doing anything wrong or malicious, it’s just there are more people at home. It’s just chance.”