Particle board fuelling fire at Thorncliffe Park apartments as response enters 5th day: Toronto chief
As Toronto firefighters enter the fifth day of responding to an ongoing fire at two Thorncliffe Park buildings, the service’s chief says combustible particle board stuck behind a concrete expansion joint continues to burn.
“Access to getting to this is next to impossible for our crews. We have been trying everything,” Chief Jim Jessop told reporters Monday afternoon while showing a sample of material pulled from the roof of one of the buildings.
“This is the problem that we are talking about. If you can imagine a cigar burning slowly up and up without visible flames, this is what my staff have been dealing with since Thursday … with no way to access it except for very manual labour ways and very laborious ways.”
Jessop, who surveyed the fire from the roof and noted smoke continues to billow into the air, said he hasn’t seen a similar incident to this one in his 30-year career.
It was at around 1:30 p.m. when Toronto emergency crews were called to 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr. after a fire spread to an adjoining building at 21 Overlea Blvd. As the fire continued to burn and carbon monoxide levels soared, the five-alarm response by firefighters eventually triggered the evacuation of more than 400 units.
Since that time, crews have made slow progress in dealing with the fire and there has been a reported decrease in carbon monoxide levels.
Joanna Beaven-Desjardins, the executive director of Toronto emergency management, said as of Monday, 141 households were still being supported by the Canadian Red Cross. She said 293 people were in hotel rooms. Some of those displaced are staying with friends or family too.
Beaven-Desjardins said the supports (hotel rooms, food and other necessities) being given to affected tenants are set to stay in place until Thursday, but added it’s being reassessed daily.
Meanwhile, Jessop said various engineers were called to the site and are trying to figure out ways to gain access to the hidden areas where the particle board is located. He said crews entered an undisclosed number of units to try to gain access to the areas behind the walls.
Jessop said there is nothing yet to suggest there has been structural damage to either of the apartment buildings.
He tried to reassure displaced residents during his update Monday afternoon that efforts are still ongoing
“I can’t imagine being displaced, but the entire city is mobilized and every resource we have is being put to solve this problem,” he said.
With files from John Marchesan
Toronto Fire Services chief Jim Jessop shows a sample of the material burning between two Thorncliffe Park apartment buildings. The materials have been on fire for five days. CITYNEWS / Tony Fera
