Heat wave, blocked fire systems leave McEwen apartment residents in 'excruciating' conditions
Weeks after the Canada Day flood disabled power and elevators at 30 McEwen Ave, residents are struggling through extreme heat with no working fire alarms or elevator access.
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Residents of the Park West apartment building at 30 McEwen Ave are enduring "excruciating" conditions nearly three weeks after the Canada Day storm knocked out power and flooded the basement, leaving some without functioning fire systems or elevator access.
On July 1, the building lost electricity and elevator service. While power has since been restored to most units, residents remain unable to use the elevators to access the flooded basement storage, forcing them to carry damaged belongings down stairwells during Ottawa's July 14 heat wave, when Environment Canada issued a yellow warning.
Jane Boucher, who lives on the 25th floor with her 17-year-old dog, said she's unable to stay in her home. "It worries me to stay here with no fire system. We live on the 25th floor. If something were to happen, none of the alarms work yet, so I don't feel comfortable staying on the 25th floor with no fire system," she said Tuesday.
Boucher and her husband have been staying with friends in Findlay Creek. Her 86-year-old mother, who also lives in the building, fell inside on Tuesday and was hospitalized; she's now staying with Boucher's sister and has lost her home care services.
Many residents lost food and family belongings. Boucher estimated $800 worth of meat spoiled in her freezers. Storage lockers were submerged in what she described as sewer and flood water. "I had a big bin of all my family's and children's pictures. I know it wasn't a tightly sealed lid. Submerged in 10 feet of water? All those pictures are gone," she said.
On the afternoon of July 14, about a dozen residents were still clearing their storage lockers despite the stifling heat, carrying bins across the parking lot to garbage bins.
The facts
When did the power outage at 30 McEwen Ave occur?
Power and elevator service were lost on July 1, 2026, after a storm flooded the basement of the Park West apartment building at 30 McEwen Ave.
What heat warning was issued in Ottawa on July 14, 2026?
Environment Canada issued a yellow heat warning in Ottawa on July 14, 2026.
What damage occurred in the building's basement storage?
Storage lockers at 30 McEwen Ave were submerged in sewer and flood water, destroying residents' belongings including food, family pictures, and other possessions stored there.
