Three people, including a young child, were taken to hospital after they escaped a house fire in Markham on Friday morning, York Regional Police say.
A police spokesperson told CP24 the child and two adults suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation in the fire on Eastvale Drive, just north of Steeles Avenue, at about 5 a.m.
Twelve people and a dog were inside the house, and everyone was accounted for after the blaze, police said.
As a crowd gathered, flames engulfed the front of the house and its attached garage, shooting several metres into the air as the fire gutted the house. Several loud explosions were heard at the fire's peak.
The home's roof collapsed and at least three vehicles were destroyed, despite the efforts of firefighters, who used an aerial ladder truck to pour water on the flames from above.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Two other fires investigated
Meanwhile, investigators are probing the causes of two other fires that occurred in the GTA overnight.
Earlier Friday morning, fire crews tackled a two-alarm blaze at a home in Brampton. The call came in just before 1:15 a.m. for a fire on Evesham Crescent, near Torbram Road and Clark Boulevard.
Brampton fire officials said a dog had to be rescued twice from the burning house.
After the dog was rescued the first time, it ran back inside - possibly because it was scared - and was rescued again, fire officials said.
No injuries were reported and the fire is not considered suspicious, Peel Regional Police told CP24.
At 12:30 a.m., Toronto firefighters extinguished a blaze at a home on Taysham Crescent, near Finch Avenue and Kipling Avenue.
No injuries were reported.
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