Apartment fire leaves 16 families homeless

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OTTAWA, July 3 (UPI) -- Sixteen Canadian families in Ottawa were homeless Tuesday following a fire that tore through a floor of their 15-story high-rise apartment, officials said.

Firefighters were called by several people before midnight Monday, reporting they saw smoke billowing from a 10th-floor window, the Ottawa Sun reported.

During the building evacuation, several people sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene, the report said. A pregnant woman with abdominal pain and a 60-year-old man with chest pains and trouble breathing were taken to a hospital and were reported in stable condition early Tuesday, the Sun said.

Fire, smoke and water damage left all 16 units of the 10th-floor uninhabitable and the Canadian Red Cross and Salvation Army began finding alternate accommodations for the residents, officials said.

It wasn't immediately clear how long it would take to repair the apartments as preliminary damage estimates were set at $350,000.

Firefighters said flames were first seen coming from the garbage disposal room that apparently spread, although the exact cause hadn't been declared Tuesday.