CTV Ottawa newsroom destroyed by fire

It took two hours for fire crews to battle a blaze at CTV Ottawa. Damage is estimated at $2.5 million, but as anchor Max Keeping notes, the fire also destroyed the archives, which include some priceless items.

CTV Ottawa Extended: Crews battle blaze

Fire crews work to get a massive blaze at CTV Ottawa studios under control early Sunday morning.

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Fire at CTV Ottawa newsroom

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Fire crews battle a blaze that destroyed the newsroom at CTV Ottawa, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. Viewer photo submitted by: Stefan Keyes

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ctvottawa.ca

Date: Sun. Feb. 7 2010 2:56 PM ET

Firefighters spent hours on the scene of an overnight fire that ripped through CTV Ottawa's newsroom and caused more than $2.5 million in damage.

Flames began on the second floor of the Merivale Road building sometime before 4:30 Sunday morning.

It took 70 firefighters and 18 fire trucks more than two hours to bring the blaze under control.

"Crews did an excellent job holding it," said District Fire Chief Jim Corrigan.

"We managed to contain the fire to the second-storey of the building. However, smoke migration made it to the fifth floor."

Corrigan says $2.5 million is a preliminary estimate. Damage could be much higher due to the building's expensive content.

An overnight security guard was working when the blaze broke out. He suffered no injuries and no other injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire is unknown.

An ongoing investigation means it could be days before staff can return. However, plans to continue production from the A Channel building in the Byward Market are moving forward.

"Our management team had put in place a very comprehensive plan to deal with emergencies like this," said CTV Ottawa's General Manager Louis Douville. "They are things we prepare for but hope will never happen."

Building still standing

One reporter was notified when a friend called and said flames were shooting from the building and "crews were rushing to the scene."

"I knew it must have been bad because he kept saying he was sorry and that the building had burned down," said reporter Stefan Keyes. "I only live a four-minute drive away so I got dressed and headed out."

Keyes says when he arrived at the scene dozens of firefighters were there and paramedics were standing by. Broken windows revealed the newsroom was charred.

"Damages looked bad but the building is still standing. Thank God."

A stretch of Merivale Road in front of the building was closed for seven hours.

The newsroom hosts several workstations for reporters, producers, editorial staff and video editors. It means several computers, televisions, phones and personal belongings would have been destroyed in the fire.

Among the devastating property losses are the local news archives of this city's history and the 37-year video history of anchor Max Keeping who is set to retire on April 1.

Comments are now closed for this story

Allene
said
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I am so very sorry. My husband was interviewed about his crossing the Sahara Desert in 1964. Three of our children were in Romper Room in the 60s as well. There are many fond memories of CJOH throughout the years. I hope that someone has copies of the archives.

Dan
said
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Well this is sad but why was this historical data not protected (ie: fire proof vault or stored off site) I think the real question here is that sure fire's do happen, but why was the stuff not protected? I hope an investigation will look into why CJOH didn't practice better storage methods.

T Falvo
said
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What a shame. Its always interesting to see how far television technology has advanced (to say the least) since 1961.

aniseh
said
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My heart hurts for you, Max, and for all of your team. How sad to have lost so much footage, but just know that your viewers and fans hold many memories of your excellence and all that you have done for your community in our hearts! You're a legend, Max! My thoughts are with you in this time of loss...

Vikki Fox
said
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The money they get from insurance will pay for their new and improved HD equipment that is becoming standard now which they *claim* they could not afford before. That's what all the whining was about with the whole 'save local television' so customers would pay money to these networks for them to buy the equipment they need to buy. True local television is on Local Cable Community Channels anyway. Makes me wonder if this was even an accident. Seems pretty convenient. And you can't tell me they back up their archives on a digital format. Tape pretty much 'disintegrates' over time so it would be stupid if they didn't keep backups offisite.

Terry
said
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I was shocked to hear the news about the fire. I drive by there all the time. CJOH is an institution in Ottawa history. My thoughts are with everyone at CHOH and hope that you guys will bounce back bigger and stronger. It is nice to see everyone offer their support in your time of need. This is why local news matters.

barbsherman
said
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Regarding K. Clarke's comments, I hope she is fully prepared for every eventuality in life because things happen that we can't foresee.

Lynn Philion
said
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To Max and "the Team"... My husband and I are in shock... We are truly sorry for what happened. I hope that there are archives saved somewhere off site... I know that "the team" will come out of this victorious... We both grew up having you as our news team and WILL GROW OLD HAVING THE SAME!! My sincere prayers are with you all. We'll be watching...

Lynn (Spencerville)

Mary
said
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"Unbelievable" was all I could think, when I heard the shocking news of the fire. Such a loss of our local (and national) television history, but, gratefully, no loss of life. The many comments posted here and elsewhere give evidence to just how much "Local TV DOES Matter"!! Having come into our homes for decades, CJOH (CTV Ottawa) is like a family member with a special place in our hearts.
To all those who work at CJOH and must deal with the emotional and physical realities this fire presents, please know that this community, this Ottawa Valley, your viewing family, grieves with you. Also know that you have our support in rebuilding just as you have helped in rebuilding the lives of others whose stories you have told. May God bring each of you comfort, strength, and hope as you take the next step in each new tomorrow.
To Max, we agonize with you in the reality of the lost archives as much of your life's work and experience was entwined in that history. However, the real mark of your life is woven into the fabric of the thousands of lives you have personally touched and that can never be destroyed or confined to the material. You will go on because you exemplify the belief that "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

VB
said
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If CTV Ottawa is like the rest of the private TV stations across Canada (and it seems it is) there is no backup for archival film, pictures and video. Often it is shelved, most video (hi-lights only) is recorded over and saved to DVD and those disks are stored in the same archive room in some dusty corner of the broadcast centre. For the most part it is not considered that valuable unfortuneatly.

Tony
said
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What was the cause of the fire and was the sprinkulars working?

kokanee
said
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This is the worst thing to happen since Knowlton left.

Melly
said
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wow. I went numb when I heard about this, it's unbelievable. That building has been around as long as I can remember :(

Danielle
said
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So sorry to hear of this terrible news. We have been watching CJOH for over 27 years and Max and his news team have played such an important role in our lives and community. Thank God there were no casualties. These wonderful and resilient people will rebuild it all back again. As for you Max, you will never be forgotten. Your hard work, dedication in delivering the very best, and your generous spirit will carry on. You are an inspiration to so many and your legacy to your CJOH family lives on. All the best to all CJOH employees because you are all the best!

John
said
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People, these archives are kept on various forms of videotape (Beta, 3/4 inch) or even film!

Have you seen the cameras they use? It's not some rinky-dink digital camera with a flash card, it's a hefty camera with a videotape stuck inside.

Then think about every piece of video you watch on the news being collected on tape after tape after tape.

If you've got a way to magically backup these formats offsite, I'd like to hear it.

Otherwise, please recognize that we're talking about thousands of hours of material created every year that would have to be converted from tape to a hard drive. The manhours involved, and the cost, would be astronomical.

Karen
said
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My heart goes out to the CTV family ... you have been a staple, not only of our community but of our homes. I have watch CJOH for as long as I can remember and continued of course when it switched to CTV news. You were all part of our families growing up and will continue to be so even through this difficult time. Know that our prayers are with you..

JJ
said
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Thanks for all your kind wishes...we will overcome this loss,.we will always be the voice of the Ottawa and Seaway Valley..rebuilding is our main goal

H. Norman
said
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Off-site archival backup is one plan I would expect from management.

Please tell us they had this competently implemented.

"Our management team had put in place a very comprehensive plan to deal with emergencies like this," said CTV Ottawa's General Manager Louis Douville. "They are things we prepare for but hope will never happen."

Cathy Giles
said
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My husband and me watch CJOH News everyday and we enjoy their humor,etc..CJOH NEWS is Number 1 News team to us, we were shocked and sadden when we heard Max Keeping talking about the fire on CFRA today,our sympathy goes out the entire CJOH News Cast, that lost family pictures/belongings and CJOH News History Valuables,etc..
I hope Ottawa Public will help and rally around CJOH NEWS team,to see if anyone has any CJOH pictures,history valuables of CJOH,etc.. at home to give to the CJOH team,We should try and get together a group to make them feel better,in knowing the People of Ottawa is helpful and care!.

Take Care Max,Carole Ann,other CJOH News team, we love u !

Larynxa
said
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Several years ago, I visited CJOH, for a convention in honour of "You Can't Do That On Television", the landmark kids' show that helped launch Nickelodeon.

I remember noticing at that time, that the station had so much archival material, stored NOT offsite in climate-controlled, fireproof vaults, but in ordinary storage rooms, onsite. I thought that, if a disaster were to happen, all those cultural treasures would be lost. And it scared the hell out of me.

And now, a disaster has happened. Once again, we see the result of the systemic neglect of our cultural heritage. Forty years of history were wiped out in an hour or so. This should not have happened. Why are there never the resources to properly preserve and protect our TV archives? When will we Canadians stand up and demand that the government and the private sector take action to preserve our cultural history?

This is an outrage!

Ubuntu
said
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No regrets whatsoever!!!!! Maybe they could locate to the P.M.O. temporarily while they rebuild another neo right wing news outlet.

Kim Peeters
said
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It's a sad day for the whole veiwing area. I couldn't believe the news.Thank goodness there were no lives lost.

Ronald Mears
said
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There was a show shot at CJOH-TV between 1977-8 and 1990 that was also aired on Nickelodeon in the U.S. from 1981-1990 called 'You Can't Do That On Television'. I'm now REALLY concerned as to whether or not those archives might have also been destroyed too.

I'm hoping that CTV Ottawa will publicly state in the coming days if that part of the tape library might have also burned down, as that was a pioneer in youth television in North America.

Katrina Lalonde
said
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My family is in shock after hearing the news. We have been watching since you first aired. We are thankful no one was hurt and saddened for your loss. We are wishing all of CTV and thier families well.

Danno
said
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An ironic case where local people were not able to save Local Television...

Brianna
said
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This is such a shock... I am sorry for all of the valuable posessions lost in the fire and I will pray for everyone who works at the news station.

Dale
said
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My heart goes out to all the people and families who worked and contributed to CJOH & CTV for all those years. I pray that this is only a setback and CTV will find renewed strength to build again knowing that the Ottawa community is behind them. We're thinking of you all... & Max!! :-)

Mike Lemieux
said
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This is truly a huge blow to our local TV. Ottawa and (Ottawans)are a hardy bunch,and we will overcome this setback.Let us thank our emergency response teams that kept this from becoming even worse with no injuries or loss of life

K CLARKE
said
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In this day & age of awareness of electronic media I find it hard to believe that there is no off-site storage of archives? If not - they deserve to lose them!
Karen

Susan Hook
said
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The first thing I do in the morning is check your website for news. I was shocked to hear about your devastating fire. My heart goes out to Max and the rest of the CTV Ottawa staff. I've watched CJOH since it came on the air so many years ago. It is my main source of news.
Sue, Woodlawn

k
said
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That is an absolute shame. I am happy to hear that no one is injured. To lose all of that footage among other things...just awful.

Francine
said
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My family were very sad to hear that their was a serious fire at the ctv building what great loss of irreplaceable pictures, tapes and other precious items.our hearts goes out to all the employees at cjoh tv

Lynda Cl.
said
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SO SORRY
HOPE THEY HAD A BACK-UP OF ALL VIDEOS SOMEWHERE ELSE.
IN MY OFFICE, WE HAVE A BACKUP THAT WE KEEP OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING.

MY HEART GOES TO MAX WHO LOST SOME MUCH OF HIS HISTORY

Ruth
said
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Thank God there were no fatalities. I feel very very sad to see a part of our history gone up in flames. Part of my generation's ealier years have been destroyed in that fire such as Uncle Willy and Cousin Floyd, Champ Champagne, The Family Brown and so much more...what a tremendous loss! I pray that the cause of this tragedy be determined quickly in order for us to put this behind us and create new memories! My sympathies to our dear friend Max and the entire CJOH/CTV family.

Bucky Merkley Ottawa
said
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Having worked at CJOH for 14 years I was shocked to hear the news this morning. I'am sure there are some archive material that has been saved by staff over the year. I know one thing for sure. Everyone at CJOH (CTV OTTAWA)is dedicated. They will get everything up and running in no time.I was proud to work with such a talented group. We were and STILL are a family.Max will tell you that to. Bless you all. R. ( Bucky Merkley )

Barb Sherman
said
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I am really sorry to hear about the fire. My heart goes out to Max whom himself is part of the Cdn tv history. To see this loss when your about to retire must be heart breaking. I will look forward to many new nights of news as this team is the best in the area. We have watched other local news but always gone back to CTV.

Karen
said
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I am so upset about the loss of local the news archives. Why weren't these better protected? Can anything be done to replace these lost treasures?

Fred
said
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I hate to see something like this happen - especially to the archives but seriously, did they not have backups of the sensitive material? If not that was a colossal screw up on someone's part.

Aaron, Toronto
said
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Wow! This is really devastating! I was watching CP24 when I heard this... CTV makes the best newscasts!

Matthew
said
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My condolences go out to the on-air and production staff at CJOH (CTV Ottawa), this is undoubtedly a profound and terrible loss. However, like the great phoenix rises from its ashes, the team st CJOH will do the same with a bigger an better newsroom and studios hopefully producing local content including newscasts in high-definition to complement the recent launch of HD network programs on select cable and satellite carriers.

Patric Payette
said
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I'm shocked in this day and age that the archives weren't backed up offsite somewhere. I'm still shocked a fire happened. I use CTV for all my news and love the local flavour of CTV Ottawa even though I still call them CJOH. At the end of the day thankfully no one was hurt or killed and other than archives, everything else can be replaced. Hopefully the station bounces back!!!

Gessie Spencer
said
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I was shock when i woke this morning to hear the sad news a fire destroyed the CTV news room.But i'm glad nobody got injured or killed.Sorry for Max Keeping and his staff.

Rachelle Martell
said
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I have watched CTV Ottawa since its very beginning in 1961. I remember "Saturday Dance" live on TV. My friends and I went to a few of them. As a teenager this was the BEST!!! Getting tickets and dance to all our favorite music. So many other memories come to my mind. I do hope that some of the 37 years archives will have been saved. Thank you to Max and all the team at CTV Ottawa who have given us so much. I know you are all still here and will be for a long time to come. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. Faith and courage will bring us through this difficult tragedy.
If I can help in any way, I am ready.
THANK YOU!!! to our Firefighters, the A Channel and all who are involved in the recovery process of CTV Ottawa Channel.
" OUR LOCAL TV MATTERS!!!"

Rose
said
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Sorry to hear this CTV is the best in Canada.

Edward Lee
said
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I am shocked this morning to hear of this fire.I have beeen to CJOH back in the 60`s for a tour.
I have had a tour a few times since then.I am an avid viewer of Ottawa Television.So I am glad to see that production will continue out of A Channel`s facilities.
Things will never be the same at CJOH.Good Luck in the investigation.

David Thomas
said
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Sorry to hear about yet another fire in our city.A similar tragedy occurred to Norman Rockwell when an accidental fire attributed to smoking,destroyed his studio and a good deal of his life's work.He did ,however rebuild ;fortunately for us.Hopefully,you will too.
Enjoyed Paul Brent's piece on the cyclotron Best Medicine is building.My brother John is closely involved with the project.
D.T.

christine Hearn
said
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A lot of memories for me--trekking out there by cab from the Hill in the 70's to edit and feed my BCTV Ottawa reports.

dawn
said
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didn't the building have a sprinkler system and a fire alarm system.

rgs
said
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I am sick about the loss of history, however, it does make me wonder as to why such important information was not stored in a fireproof vault?

Brandie
said
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WOW !! unbelievable !!!!

Alex (Toronto)
said
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This is devestating, a massive four-alarm blaze destroys the CTV Ottawa newsroom. My sympathy and best wishes go out to the entire CTVglobemedia family.

suzanne
said
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I have lived in Ottawa all my 31 years, this is just so sad, I will pray for Max and everyone else who works there. I'm still in shock.

Rose Simpson
said
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We have a Betacam SP plus tripod for rent or sale, if that will help.

Dave White
said
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My heart was heavy as I just watched Max Keeping on CTV telling us about the fire at your news studio. Much archived history and memories have been lost as Max stated and these cannot be replaced.
My thoughts are with the staff of CJOH as us watchers and supporters of local TV share your feelings. Most of all I feel for Max as he will soon be leaving CJOH and those were his memories that went up in smoke.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said
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Does this mean that the capability to cover the federal Opposition's faux "work" and bogus news conferences will be diminished? I hope not. Seriously, what a terrible loss; especially the archives. Sad. Glad nobody was killed or injured. Sorry, CTV.

Isabel
said
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We've been watching CJOH since it came on the air and Max in the newsroom has been a constant feature in our home. Hopefully there was backup of all the old news items. It was neat to watch the pictures of Max from the time he started there up until now. My sympathy and best wishes to all at CTV Ottawa.

Chris
said
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Was there no off-site backups of the archival footage?!?!?!

Ashley
said
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I am so devestated by this news. CTV Ottawa was the news I'd watch when at home with my parents before heading to University here in Peterborough. Max Keeping, as noted that the documented 37yrs of your career may have been destroyed, always know that for so many your work will be remembered in our hearts. It is with much hope that you will all overcome this tragedy. You are all in my prayers.

John
said
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Does anyone know if this building had a sprinkler system, and if so was it working?

PHOTO GALLERY:

Fire rips through newsroom

Fire charred the CTV Ottawa newsroom on Merivale Road early Sunday morning. It took 70 firefighters more than two hours to quell the blaze.

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