Firefighters and paramedics responded to a call about a fire inside the NAC on Friday night. “A fire broke out in a linen dryer located in the laundry room of the NAC kitchen,” NAC spokeswoman Annabelle Cloutier said. “The fire was extinguished and did not spread further.” A spokesperson for the Ottawa Paramedic Service says a man went into cardiac arrest after inhaling smoke. Firefighters on scene used an automatic external defibrillator to treat the patient before paramedics arrived on scene, and paramedics then used a cyanide kit to reverse the effects of the smoke. “Our thoughts are with our injured colleague who is recovering and should be released soon as his condition has really improved,” Cloutier said. The National Arts Center says there was no disruption to Friday night’s performance and all performances will go on as scheduled this weekend.
