It is believed that all tenants managed to escape from the burning apartment building. (CBC)

About 70 Ottawa firefighters are battling a three-alarm blaze at a three-storey apartment building in the Glebe.

The fire, which started at around 2 p.m. Monday at an apartment building on Glebe Avenue near Bank Street, has gutted the entire building. The roof was completely burned through at around 5 p.m.

All of the residents in the 18-unit apartment building were promptly evacuated, and no one is believed to be hurt.

"I was in the basement working," said Randy Young, the superintendent of the building.

"Then I [came] back upstairs and all of a sudden there [were] flames coming out of the second and third floor."

By 5:30 p.m., additional firefighters had arrived. They had to take OC Transpo buses to get to the building because no trucks were available to deliver them to the scene.

The building can not be saved and will be knocked down, firefighters said.

Nearby streets closed

Police had closed down Bank Street between Clemow Avenue and First Avenue. Glebe Avenue and First Avenue were closed between Bank and O'Connor Street.

Police are encouraging the public to stay away from the area.

Many tenants who have lost all their belongings and their homes were thankful that they were safe, but they were worried about their pets.

Stuart Dawson rushed home from work to make sure his 11-month-old puppy was all right. A firefighter had found the dog and took him out of the building, Dawson said.

"I live in the basement on the side that's currently burning down right now, so I've never been that scared in my whole life," he said.

Beverly O'Hara said she was concerned for the safety of her two cats in the building, but tried to keep things in perspective.

"I know it seems shallow," she said. "They are cats, and I mean I was sitting watching all the trauma in Haiti today and I feel very silly [getting] worried about cats."

The Salvation Army is providing assistance to the many people rendered temporarily homeless by the fire.

"Today we are here to help victims services to offer them clothing, furniture, bedding, anything that we can obviously do for them," said Capt. Theresa Burry of the Salvation Army.