Firefighters battle blaze at south Ottawa auto garage

Ottawa firefighters battled a blaze at an auto garage in the city's south end that sent black smoke billowing into the sky Tuesday afternoon.

Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) received the first call about the fire at 2540 Mac Street, near Hunt Club Road and the Airport Parkway, at 2:18 p.m. The business at that address is listed as Ultimate Car Shop.

A second call came in later, summoning more firefighters, according to OFS spokesperson Nick DeFazio.

"You expect a bit of smoke working next to car dealerships and all that, but that was some next level stuff," said Omar Gonnci, an employee at a nearby business who told CBC he saw the fire start.

"By the time you get outside, you just see this whole garage engulfed in flames. And it's full of tires, so the smoke was just pure black."

The fire spread to multiple live hydro wires, creating an additional hazard, DeFazio said.

He said firefighters had the flames under control by 3 p.m. There are no known injuries.

The OFS hazmat team also responded to contain contaminants from tires and vehicles at the scene.