A seniors’ residence in Scarborough was briefly evacuated Monday after a fire started in a basement locker.
Crews were called to Kennedy Lodge, at Kennedy and Ellesmere roads, at around 11:50 a.m. after receiving an alert from an alarm company.
Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from the basement, but could not immediately locate the source of the fire.
Toronto Fire Capt. David Eckerman said the fire was eventually located in a basement locker in the laundry room area.
The basement and first floor of the 289-bed residence were evacuated as firefighters applied water to tackle the fire. Residents on the upper floors were told to shelter in place.
The call was elevated to a three-alarm level, mainly as a precaution due to the number of residents, Toronto Fire said.
TTC buses were brought in to shelter the displaced residents and paramedics responded as a precaution as well.
Firefighters ventilated the building and by around 1:45 p.m., residents were allowed to return to their units.
Toronto Fire investigators are looking into the incident.
No injuries were reported.
