Shirley Bennett, 67, died Monday night in a building fire at Wiggins Private
Friends are sad about the death of a happy woman with a good heart who died in a fire late Monday night at an Ottawa Community Housing building in Sandy Hill.
Michelle Desrosiers lives across the street from 310 Wiggins Priv., and she could see smoke coming from the first-floor apartment. She was afraid it was coming from the apartment of Shirley Bennett.
When she heard that her friend of more than a decade had died, she said, “I was pretty upset.”
Monday night, just after 10 p.m., fire crews were called to an apartment building. They say that several people who called 911 said they saw flames and smoke coming out of the window of an apartment on the first floor.
In the fire, Bennett and her dog both died.
Another person in the building was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
‘Heart of gold
Desrosiers had known Bennett since they met at a place where parents and kids could hang out.
She said Bennett had recently moved into the building from another apartment because her wheelchair made it hard to get around and she wanted to be closer to family who lived in the area.
“She really cared about everyone. She was very kind and caring. She was a wonderful person,” “said Desrosiers.
“It’s hard to explain how you feel when someone you’ve known for a long time dies. And everyone in the neighborhood knows her; everyone does. We all live together.”
Tracy Cape was in her apartment on the ground floor on Monday night when she heard the fire alarm go off.
“When I tried to open my door, it was like a sheet of smoke was in my face. So I shut the door hard and went out onto the patio,” “she told me.
Once she and her cat got out of the building, she saw glass breaking and flames coming out of the side.
The fire killed a 67-year-old woman, Ottawa police said. With help from the arson unit of Ottawa police and Ottawa Fire Services, the investigation has been taken over by the Office of the Fire Marshal.
“She always wore cool leggings that looked like normal clothes. So it was different every day. “Melissa Stillwell worked at a store in a nearby mall about five years ago when she met Bennett for the first time.
She said that her friend and neighbor would always be out walking her dog.
“She was happy… She always stopped to chat with people, “Stillwell said.