A two-alarm fire that caused a quarter million dollars in damage to a North York home started after some kids were playing with fireworks abehind the house, Toronto Fire Services says.
Crews were called to the home on Monclova Road in the Jane Street and Sheppard Avenue area around 9:30 p.m. Saturday night after an area resident noticed some kids playing with fireworks, Capt. Mike Strapko of Toronto Fire Services said.
“Police reported to us that a tree was on fire at the back of the house and that the back of the house was on fire,” Strapko said.
Firefighters arrived to find the tree and the back of the home engulfed in flames. No one was injured and firefighters were able to stamp out the blaze, but the home sustained about $250,000 worth of damage and six residents have been displaced.
However Strapko said the situation could have been much worse.
“People who do buy fireworks should keep them locked away from children,” Strapko said. “Children should never have fireworks because they are extremely dangerous and could cause serious injury, death or property damage.”
He noted that people are required to be 18 years of age in order to buy fireworks from a licensed vendor in Toronto.
Strapko said Toronto Fire Services encourages people to attend professional fireworks displays rather than light their own.
However he said those who do choose to set off their own fireworks should follow safety precautions, such as keeping fireworks buried halfway down in a bucket of sand and only allowing a single sober adult to light the fireworks.
The home is believed to be a rooming house, Strapko said.
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