CTV Ottawa Studios lost in blaze

A fire early Sunday morning destroyed the news studios of CTV Ottawa, formerly known as CJOH.

No injuries were reported. Damages were estimated to be at least $2.5 million. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

CTV is scrambling to carry on and some operations have been moved to space at the Byward Market.

The fire came just before a lull in local programing due to extensive coverage of the Vancouver Olympics. Pre-existing plans to move to newer facilities are being accelerated.

The most significant loss may be archival. The studios opened in 1961, producing an array of national and local programing. In that respect, the video record of this city and its newsmakers has been greatly reduced.

Sharing the news by email, someone sent me this observation: “It’s a compelling case for off-site backups.”

That can be awfully hard to manage, but it’s not a bad idea, where crucial stuff is concerned.

Best of luck to the 100 employees of CTV Ottawa as they rally to recover from this blow.