Resident jumps from 4th floor apartment to escape fire in Ottawa’s Lowertown neighbourhood

Firefighters responded to a fire in a four-storey apartment building on St. Patrick Street Tuesday night. (Scott Stilborn/Ottawa Fire Services)

A man is being treated for critical injuries after jumping from the fourth floor of an apartment building to escape a fire in Ottawa’s Lowertown neighbourhood.

The Ottawa Fire Services says it received multiple 9-1-1 calls at 11:40 p.m. Tuesday, reporting a fire on the fourth floor of a low-rise residential building on St. Patrick Street, near Coburg Street.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, “heavy flames” were coming from a window, according to Ottawa Fire Services spokesperson Nick Defazio.

“A resident from the fire unit had jumped out of the window of the fire unit to the ground,” Defazio said.

“Firefighters established a medical sector and began assessing and treating the resident who jumped to safety for their injuries, which included severe burns to their hands, arms and feet.”

Firefighters accompanied paramedics to hospital with the patient. An Ottawa Paramedic Service spokesperson told CTV News Ottawa a man in his 30s suffered burns and “injuries consistent with a fall” from the building.

He was taken to hospital in critical condition.

The fire was contained to the single unit, and it was declared under control at 12:19 a.m.

“While firefighters were extinguishing the flames in the unit on the 4th floor, secondary crews were helping residents safely evacuate the structure and searching for any occupants in the fire unit and on the 4th floor,” officials said.

Residents were allowed to return once the air quality was deemed safe in the building.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.