Fire officials are investigating the cause of a stubborn blaze that severely damaged a home in the Junction early Tuesday morning.
Firefighters spent hours trying to extinguish the two-alarm fire in the 200 block of Keele Street, near Humberside Avenue, after being notified at about 2 a.m.
Ryan, a young man who lives in a suite inside the divided two-storey house, said he and his roommate were awakened by a commotion in the upstairs apartment.
“We got out and we started smelling smoke within our own house,” said Ryan, who is studying to become a firefighter.
Ryan and his roommate went outside, where they encountered a police officer as the upstairs tenant’s deck burned.
The tenant has a barbecue on the deck, Ryan told CP24's Cam Woolley.
Fire started on porch: fire official
It’s believed the fire started on the porch before spreading to the attic and roof, said Toronto Fire Services district chief Stephan Powell.
By the time everyone escaped the house, the blaze had been reported by the driver of a passing TTC bus and a second person.
At one point, firefighters used a ladder truck to spray water on the home as flames shot out of the roof.
Firefighters encountered some difficulty because the flames spread into insulation in the attic, and the older house has undergone a lot of renovations, said platoon chief Len Stadler.
No injuries were reported.
A damage estimate was not available.
Keele Street is closed just north of Bloor Street. Because of the closure, the TTC's 41 Keele buses are diverting.
With files from CP24's Cam Woolley
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