Arson, assault charges laid after Overbrook highrise fire

Ottawa police said they've laid six charges against an Ottawa man after a highrise fire in Overbrook last week that left some people without a place to live and significantly damaged an apartment building.

Ottawa Fire Services said on X last Thursday they were called to the fire at the south end of Cummings Avenue around 8:10 a.m.,first by police, then by the building's alarm company.

A second-floor unit was on fire, they said, so crews went to work putting out the flames and helping residents get out of the building.

The fire was under control within 10 minutes of firefighters'arrival, they said.

One week later on Thursday, police said in a news release they'd charged a 33-year-old man with one count each of arson damaging property damage, arson with disregard for human life, uttering death threats andresisting arrest. The man faces two counts of assaulting a police officer.

Police said they'd been called to a disturbance in the area about an hour before police called firefighters.