Article content

A couple of kids in the Civic Hospital area are “devastated,” and their parents aren’t too pleased either, after a vandal torched their homemade “little library” structure in front of their home early Wednesday.

The little library outside of 125 Ruskin St., near the Ottawa Hospital Civic campus, belongs to Emily Cronin and Jeremy McLay and their two children, Jack, 12, and Sadie, nine.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Kids 'devastated' after vandals torch homemade neighbourhood little library Back to video

Neighbours David and Derry Cullwick were the first to notice the blaze. The couple woke with a start at around 4 a.m. Wednesday to the sound of crackling flames and the sharp smell of smoke coming through their bedroom window. David saw the little library engulfed in flames, and rushed outside with a fire extinguisher.

He says he managed to quell most of the flames by the time firefighters arrived. However, the structure was heavily damaged and most of the books destroyed.

Security cameras on the Cullwicks’ property captured a person walking up to the little library, opening its door, and lighting its contents with what David says appeared to be a match or lighter. The video shows the person standing there for about 20 seconds and then walking away, he said.