Explosion at Ottawa building leads to structural fire; no injuries reported

A structural fire in the 1500 block of Poplar Street in Ottawa was extinguished without any injuries on Thursday evening.

Ottawa Firefighters responded to reports of an explosion at 8:32 p.m. with damage to the rear of the Festivities Unlimited building, Fire Chief Brian Bressner said in a news release. Ottawa Dental Lab owns the building.

Crews arrived on scene at 8:36 pm and found an active fire in the building and smoke venting from the roof, Bressner said.

“The first arriving engine company performed an offensive attack on the fire through the front door,” he said. “The first arriving truck company performed ventilation and assisted in the fire attack.”

Crews got the fire under control by 8:44 p.m. Firefighters remained on scene to continue with salvage, overhaul, and investigative operations.

Bressner said no civilians or firefighters were harmed in the incident.

The cause of the fire was accidental, Bressner said.

“The origin of the fire was located in the rear of the structure; a device used in the dental field to recycle isopropyl alcohol malfunctioned and ruptured, causing the explosion and resulting fire,” he said.

The Ottawa Fire Department received support from several agencies, including the Ottawa Police Department, Ottawa Central Dispatch, Naplate Fire Department, Wallace Fire Department, Marseilles Fire Department, Marseilles EMS, Grand Ridge Fire Department, Ottawa Water Department, Nicor and Ameren.

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