Emergency crews knocked down a two-alarm fire at a downtown high-rise building Tuesday morning where at least one person was rescued by firefighters.
Police are treating the case as an arson.
The blaze broke out at around 8:30 a.m. at the Wellesley Central Residences on 490 Sherbourne Street, near Wellesley Street.
Crews arrived to find smoke billowing out of windows on the third floor and evacuated the building.
Video provided to CTV News Toronto shows a resident standing on a ledge on the exterior of the building while wafts of dark smoke escape a nearby window.
Toronto Fire Services says the resident, who is the occupant of the now-charred unit, was rescued from the third floor by firefighters.
“They were in a big panic and at one point, I was kind of scared they were going to fall off the edge,” Joseph Mario, who recorded a video of the ordeal, said.
The fire was mostly put out shortly after Toronto Fire arrived at the scene, but crews remained there for several hours after to clear the building of any lingering smoke.
“The damage inside the unit is significant and I can only surmise, but if the occupant placed themselves on that very thin ledge in very strong heat and smoke conditions, they must have felt that was the only option at the time,” Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop told CTV News Toronto.
The occupant did not suffer serious injury.
Later, Toronto Police said in a tweet that the resident rescued from the burning unit will face arson charges in connection with the incident.
The Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating.
