Friends grieve death of woman with 'heart of gold' in Sandy Hill fire

Friends are grievingthe death of an always cheerful woman with a heart of gold in afire at an Ottawa Community Housing building in Sandy Hill late Monday night.

Michelle Desrosierslives in an apartment across the street from 310 Wiggins Priv.and could seesmokestreaming from the first-floor unit. Shedreaded it was coming from Shirley Bennett's apartment.

"I was pretty devastated," she said, after learning her friend of more than a decade had died.

Firefighters were called to an apartment buildingjust after 10 p.m. Monday. They say several 911 callers described seeing flames and smoke streaming from the window of a first-floor apartment.

Bennett and her dog both died in the fire.

Another person in the building was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

'Heart of gold'

Desrosiers had known Bennett ever since they met at a drop-in centre for parents and children.

She said Bennett hadmovedinto the building recently from another apartment because of accessibility issues with her wheelchairand to be closer to family who lived in the area.

"You know, she cared about everybody. She had a heart of gold. She was a very nice person," said Desrosiers.

"It's hard to explain how you feel when you lose somebody that you've known so well. And everybody knows her in the community, too, everybody does. We're a big family."

WATCH | RememberingShirley Bennett:

Friend of woman who died in apartment fire recounts the day

1 year ago

Duration 0:38

Michelle Desrosiers describes her friend Shirley Bennett as someone who was a very nice lady with a heart of gold. ( Photo: Jean Delisle/CBC)

Tracy Cape was in her ground-floor apartment when she heard the fire alarm going off late Monday.

"I went to open up my door and there was like a sheet of smoke in my face. So I slammed the door and went out the patio," she said.

Once she escaped with her cat, she saw glass shattering and flames pouring from the side of the building.

Ottawa police confirmed a 67-year-old woman died in the fire. The Office of the Fire Marshal has taken over the investigation with the assistance of Ottawa police's arson unit and Ottawa Fire Services.

"She always had funky, kind of like everyday leggings on. So every day was a different one," said Melissa Stillwell, who first met Bennett about five years ago while working at a store in a nearby mall.

She said she would always see her friend and neighbour out walking her dog.

"She was cheerful she would always stop and talk to people," Stillwell said.