Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.
A fire displaced tenants of 70 units in two connected residential buildings in Thorncliffe Park on Thursday, Toronto Fire Services says.
The fire was discovered before 2 p.m. at 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr., before it spread to 21 Overlea Blvd., Commander Robert Hewson told reporters near the scene. By 9 p.m., Toronto Fire said the fire was considered to be four-alarm.
Initially, power was shut off to both buildings, but by 9 p.m., power had been restored to 21 Overlea Blvd., according to Toronto Fire.
At 10:30 p.m., Toronto Hydro said it had been given permission by Toronto Fire to allow its crews to begin restoring power to 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr.
Displaced residents, meanwhile, were sheltering in TTC buses on Thursday night. The evacuated units are on seven floors — three floors in one building and four floors on the other.
Hewson said insulation was burning in between the walls and that was raising carbon monoxide levels. The units were evacuated out of caution, he added.
“It’s a very stubborn, slow fire. We’re on it,” Hewson said. “We’re working on extinguishing the fire. CO levels are going down, currently.”
At 9 p.m., Toronto Fire said there was still smoke in the buildings. Crews were using specialized equipment to determine if carbon monoxide was still present in the affected units.
As of Friday morning, crews were still on scene for the “active” fire, said Toronto Fire. They said it is a “deeply seeded fire in the wall cavities” of the building, possibly impacting the insulation.
No timeline for when residents can return to units
Hewson could not say when residents will be allowed to return to their units.
“We’re not there yet. We’re still working on it,” he said. “A little bit too early to tell that. We’re still working on scaling it down.”
No one has been injured in the blaze.
Toronto firefighters are seen here near both buildings affected by the fire on Thursday. (Chris Langenzarde/CBC)
Earlier on Thursday, Alex Vashkevich, a public information officer at Toronto Fire Services, said the fire was discovered in an electrical panel, which was smouldering. He said the fire spread into the walls of a basement parking level, where electrical panels are housed for both buildings.
Power was shut off after the fire was discovered.
Toronto Fire could not confirm if the fire was an electrical one, but said where it began was situated closely to electrical equipment.
Toronto Hydro to assess equipment once fire contained
In an email on Wednesday, Toronto Hydro said it disconnected power to equipment in an underground vault that was damaged by the fire and that disconnection was affecting both buildings.
It said power has been restored to some affected customers, but didn’t have an estimated time for full restoration.
A view of Toronto fire trucks near the two connected buildings on Thursday night. (Toronto Fire Services/X)
“We appreciate everyone’s patience during this process. Please know that restoring power safely and promptly to all affected customers is our top priority.”
Toronto police said road closures remained in place on Thursday night.
The TTC said buses are not stopping between Overlea Boulevard at Thorncliffe Park Drive (West) and Thorncliffe Park Drive (East) due to the fire.
