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Two women are in hospital for smoke inhalation and several seniors are displaced after a fire broke out at a North York apartment building early Thursday morning, said Toronto Fire.
Emergency responders received calls at around 1:48 a.m. for fire, smoke and the sound of fire alarms ringing at a residential building near Victoria Park Avenue and Eglinton Avenue E., said Toronto Fire Commander Paul O’Brien at a news conference.
He said crews encountered black smoke and “high heat conditions” on the ninth floor, which they aggressively attacked and got under control within minutes of getting water access.
Another fire broke out in the same building on June 28, and one person was pronounced dead. Despite the proximity in time between the two incidents, O’Brien said he did not have any safety concerns with the building.
The fire was in the hallway and resulted in major smoke damage, said O’Brien.
The building’s address is listed online as residential housing with the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation.
A TTC shelter bus helped house some residents of the building after a fire broke out on the ninth floor. (Claude Beaudoin/CBC)
O’Brien said residents did the right thing by sheltering in their units and on their balconies away from the heavy smoke. Paramedics took two women to hospital for smoke inhalation, said Toronto police.
O’Brien said investigators are en route to the scene to determine the origin of the fire and if the Office of the Fire Marshal needs to be called in.
About 18 units on the south side of the ninth floor will not be able to return for about a week and crews are still assessing if any other residents are affected, he said. Those residents will have a place to stay, thanks to support from the building, O’Brien said.
He said crews are still on scene for a fire watch and to help residents in the building while elevators are temporarily not working.