One person is dead after a two-alarm fire at a rooming house in the city’s Junction Triangle neighbourhood.
Emergency crews were first called to the detached home on Sarnia Avenue near Dupont Street and Lansdowne Avenue at around 8:50 a.m.
Upon arrival, Captain David Eckerman says that firefighters observed smoke coming out from underneath a door to a second floor apartment.
Eckerman says firefighters then entered the apartment and located the victim in life-threatening condition. The victim was subsequently pronounced dead on scene, according to both paramedics and Toronto Fire Services.
“A person familiar with the apartment and its occupants advised us there could possibly be a person inside that unit. Upon entering we located that person in life-threatening condition and transferred them over to Toronto Paramedics,” Eckerman said. “We continued on with our searches and fighting the fire, which had gotten into the walls. We were able to first knock it down and then extinguish it.”
Eckerman said that firefighters remain on scene and are currently “peeling back flashing and other material” from the roof to confirm that there are not hot spots that need to be extinguished.
Speaking with reporters at the scene, Toronto Fire Services Chief Matthew Pegg promised a thorough investigation but said that crews will be unable to begin their examination of the building until the arrival of officials from the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal.
In the interim, Pegg said that investigators have begun “preliminary interviews” with all witnesses on scene.
“As with all of our fire investigations, there will be a full assessment of origin and cause of the fire and all the circumstances that contributed to it,” he said. “That will include a very detailed look at the structure. We will be undertaking a review to see if there is any case history on this property and then there will be a full inspection as well.”
Pegg did not provide any details about the victim but said that his “heartfelt condolences” go out to their family and friends, calling it a “tragedy.”
He said that firefighters have begun to allow some displaced residences to reenter their homes through the back doors.
“If there are people who have been displaced as a result of the fire make contact with our staff on scene and we will do our very best to get them access,” he said.
Sarnia Avenue is closed to traffic as are the northbound lanes of Campbell Avenue at Wallace Avenue.
