Ottawa, Canada - February 25, 2025 Firefighters responded to the collapse of a 6-storey parking garage in the downtown core on 25 February. At approximately 16:55, the Ottawa Fire Services Communications Division received a 9-1-1 call from a resident reporting damage to a column on one of the pillars in the parking garage at 265 Laurier Ave West and thought someone should investigate. Our Technical Rescue Teams, including our structural collapse team, were dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, it was confirmed 5-6 girders, the main horizontal support of a structure, were bowing and the structural integrity was compromised. The top floor of the 6-storey parking garage, which is not covered, was confirmed to have a heavy snow load on it. Our partners from Ottawa Police were called to the scene to close the roads in the area and provide scene security. A City of Ottawa engineer and the property managers were also called to the scene. Firefighters began searching the structure for any residents to remove them from the area. Approximately 50 vehicles were inside the parking garage, and no owners were allowed to remove their vehicles. Firefighters assisted residents to quickly evacuate the structure and set up exclusion zone tape around the perimeter. While searching the structure for residents, it was confirmed the cement columns reinforcing the upper roof were cracked and broken. At 17:47, it was confirmed there were no residents left in the structure. Once on scene, the building engineers confirmed a potential collapse was imminent. At 04:47, the top level of the North West corner of the structure collapsed. There are no reported injuries. Dramatic video footage captured the moment of the collapse, underscoring the severity of the incident that left downtown Ottawa reeling.