When the phone rings this early on a Sunday morning you know it’s not going to be good news.
My first waking thought was SOMEONE HAS DIED. But when I heard Mark say: “you’re kidding” to the person on the other end of the line I knew it couldn’t be a death. As it turned out it was almost as bad.
There was a massive fire at the CTV Ottawa building on Merivale Road very early this morning. No one was hurt but the damage is extensive. The initial figure that’s being tossed around is $2.5 million but it has to be more than that. The newsroom is gone – expensive equipment – but more importantly, miles of archival footage is too. It’s the visual history of our city.
Some of you may or may not know this, but my husband Mark works at CTV. He’s a producer/director and has been there almost 25 years. CTV is his other family.
He drove out there as soon as he got the news to survey the scene. “It’s bad,” he said on a crackling phone. “Inside is all black.” He took this photo.
I’m trying to be optimistic, but this turn of events has hit our family hard and we’re in a bit of a daze today. I’m sure the managers are gathering, trying to figure it all out. But there’s almost no point speculating. Who knows what Monday will bring.