Firefighters tackle two-alarm blaze at vacant Wilbrod Street building

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A fire watch continued Tuesday for any flare ups after firefighters doused a second-alarm blaze in Sandy Hill.

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A fire investigator was at the three-storey building on Wilbrod Street between Nelson and Friel streets to determine the cause, Ottawa Fire Services said. No one was inside and no injuries were reported.

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Ottawa police found smoke and flames when officers responded to an alarm at about 7:20 a.m., the fire department said.

Firefighters arrived two minutes later and declared a second alarm to call in more resources to fight the fire, which appears to have started on the first floor and spread to the second and third.

Holes in the floors posed a threat to firefighters as they searched to confirm the building was empty. Crews pulled apart ceilings and walls to attack the flames inside and worked to prevent any damage to the building next door.

OC Transpo sent a bus to the scene for firefighters to stay warm while crews were rotating in and out of fighting the fire, which was under control at 9:08 a.m.