Firefighters battle a blaze at the CTV Ottawa newsroom Nepean on Sunday. (CBC)An overnight fire has destroyed the CTV newsroom in Ottawa and reportedly caused at least $2.5 million in damage.
The fire started sometime before 4:30 a.m. ET Sunday at the building. It tore through the newsroom for CTV Ottawa, formerly known as CJOH-TV, on the second-floor of the building in the southern suburb of Nepean.
A security guard was on duty when the flames broke out at the building at 1500 Merivale Road.
He suffered no injuries and by mid Sunday morning it appeared that nobody else had been injured.
It took 70 firefighters and 18 fire trucks more than two hours to bring the fire under control, CTV.ca reported. The entire newsroom, home to television cameras, editing equipment, computers, and archival footage, was completely gutted, officials said.
Among the items destroyed is 37 years' worth of archival videotape of anchor Max Keeping who is retiring this spring.
"We're very fortunate that nobody got hurt but we've lost a great deal," Keeping told CBC News on Sunday.
"And I guess on top of that is the fact that this building [is] historic in Canadian broadcasting. You know, [in] 1961 when it was opened, it was the CTV national news that operated out of here in those first years, and so many major productions came out of here and a lot of that may have been lost."
The cause of the fire has not immediately been determined.
Newscast to air Sunday
It could be days before staff are able to return to the facility, CTV.ca reported, however management officials are planning to continue operations at the A Channel newsroom in Byward market.
"We're already ready to continue our broadcast today and we'll be on the air later this afternoon," Keeping said.
"It's a very sad day as you can see. I just found out a couple of minutes ago because my daughter works just down the road and she phoned me up and said the place where I've worked for the 30 years was on fire. So it's very upsetting right now," said Claude Davis, who works at the front desk of the newsroom.
"I don't know how bad the damage is. I just got here and it's very traumatic right now," Davis told CBC News.
Merivale Road between Clyde Avenue and Baseline Road was closed to traffic until early afternoon on Sunday while authorities investigated. The stretch of roadway re-opened at around 1:30 p.m.
Share Tools
Latest Ottawa News Headlines
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges

- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Double-lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- Organ donation advocate Hèlène Campbell of Ottawa made her second appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, but her first since undergoing a double-lung transplant. more »
- Canadian woman continues tweeting her way to the top of Everest
- Sandra Leduc is taking a second run at Mount Everest's summit after a deadly storm forced her back down the mountain and killed four others on Sunday. The Canadian lawyer and government worker is tweeting her progress along the way. more »
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Raw stories about bullying emerged when a video booth was set up inside a Quebec high school. more »
Top News Headlines
- Everest victim's husband says family not seeking government help
- The husband of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest on Saturday says his family is not seeking government help to cover the cost of bringing his wife's body home. more »
- B.C. premier unhappy with disgraced Mountie's transfer
- B.C. Premier Christy Clark says she is not happy with the RCMP decision to transfer a disgraced Alberta Mountie to the West Coast. more »
- Henrique's OT goal sends Devils into Stanley Cup final
- The New Jersey Devils will vie for a potential fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history after defeating the New York Rangers in six games in the Eastern final, courtesy of rookie Adam Henrique's goal early in overtime. more »
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- The federal government is scrapping two review boards used by people appealing decisions made about their employment insurance. more »
Most Viewed/Commented
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- Ottawa man in hospital after lightning strike
- Double-lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- Birds attack Ottawa joggers
- Woman pinned between forklifts in Ottawa warehouse
- Pants-pulling case draws 24 more charges
- Ottawa race weekend road closures
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Victim named in Queensway rollover crash

