1 week Ago By Special to the Citizen
The number of fires in Ottawa rose by more than 100 last year, according to data in the Ottawa Fire Services’ 2024 annual report. The jump is part of a larger trend, with Ottawa’s annual number of fires rising steadily since 2019, according to data from multiple OFS annual reports. The 2024 report shows the number of fires increasing by eight per cent that year, from 1,304 fires in 2023 to 1,408 in 2024.
The report attributes the increase to population growth, new construction and extreme weather in the city. Ottawa fire chief Paul Hutt said there have been more fires across the city, but more populated areas like the downtown are more at risk. “There are more fires in the downtown area for sure,” Hutt said.
“But again, we’re seeing that increase in multi-residential high-rise buildings. That’s what 2024 showed us.” Fire services were called to around 34 more fires in multi-residential units like apartment buildings or high-rises last year compared to 2023, Hutt said.
High-rise buildings are more susceptible to fires because their greater number of mechanical and electrical systems means there are “more points of failure” that could lead to fires, according to Ahmed Abdelnabi, a member of Carleton University’s fire safety engineering research team EMBER Fire Group. The “stack effect” also worsens fires, particularly in Ottawa, Abdelnabi said. In these situations, low outdoor temperatures clash with the building’s warmer indoor temperatures, which accelerates hot air rising in the building.
“If we have a fire in a high-rise building, the smoke will be able to propagate upwards faster,” he said. Additionally, the energy-efficient materials many high-rise buildings are made of are “highly flammable,” Abdelnabi said. Abdelnabi also said synthetic materials used in furniture make fires spread quicker.
For example, he said, it would take 30 minutes for a one-window room filled with wooden furniture to become unsurvivable in a fire. But if that same room was filled with synthetic furniture, he said, it would only take three to five minutes. “People think they have time,” Abdelnabi said.
“Sometimes they don’t.” Hutt said that makes it particularly important to maintain the fire service’s response times, which the annual report says fire services continued to do in 2024. The report also points to extreme weather caused by climate change as a cause of more fires, with “more frequent and severe weather” leading to “a higher number of emergencies, including structural fires, wildland brush and grass fires.
” However, Hutt said complacency and distraction among residents is a trend that is increasing the risk of fires in the city. “The leading cause of fire in the province of Ontario, including Ottawa, is kitchen, oven fires or unattended fires,” Hutt said. Other causes include discarded smoking material or cigarettes, and electrical failure from appliance use, Hutt added.
Overall, he said, most fires are preventable. An increasing number of fires also poses risks for firefighters themselves, according to David Andre, president of the Ottawa Professional Fire Fighters Association. “Our members know what they sign up for,” he said, but more fires mean they are more exposed to injury, carcinogens or psychological harm.
“Firefighters are responding to events where people are either seriously injured, deceased or at the very least have lost everything,” Andre said. “That also has a mental toll.” While the annual number of fires can vary, he said, Ottawa’s growing population is a factor in the rising number of incidents.
To address the trend of increasing fires in the city, Hutt, Abdelnabi, and Andre all said fire safety awareness and prevention measures are key. “If we have proper fire safety measures ..
. then the fact that we have more people and more buildings shouldn’t be an issue,” Abdelnabi said. Andre added that the construction of new fire stations, like Stittsville’s renovated Fire Station 81 and new stations planned for 2028 and 2032, are important steps.
“If you have an ever-increasing population but you maintain the same amount of firefighters, then the calls per station are going to increase,” he said. While Ottawa residents should feel safe, Hutt said, it’s important they remain aware. “Everybody should be reminded they can’t get complacent,” Hutt said.
“They need to have fire safety on their mind at all times.”.
