A section of College Street was closed to car traffic for about 12 hours on Monday after a fire ripped through a computer store and several apartments on Sunday night.
The fire started in the basement of Canada Computers at 366 College St. just after 11 p.m. and soon spread to the main floor and the six apartments above. All residents of the four-storey building were able to escape without injury.
At its most intense, the fire was so strong firefighters were driven out of the basement, Captain David Eckerman of Toronto Fire Services tells CP24. Holes were then cut into the main floor to get to the basement fire, but parts of the floor soon collapsed.
A total of 22 fire trucks used so much water that the City of Toronto was asked to boost water pressure to that neighbourhood, said Eckerman.
The effort took a toll on two firefighters injured on the job. Both were treated at Toronto Western Hospital and released. One required x-rays and another suffered from smoke inhalation.
The exact cause of the fire has not been determined, but officials say it does not appear to be suspicious. An estimate of the cost of the damage is not yet available, but Eckerman says the building does not appear to be a complete loss.
He says it will be "some time" before apartment residents will be able to return home.
The fire marshal has been called to the scene, which is also being monitored by police and fire officials.
The closure wasn't the only one causing congestion on College Street on Monday. The Fiera Italian festival has closed the thoroughfare from Clinton to Grace Streets.
