Toronto Fire Displaces Residents in Thorncliffe Park Two-Building Fire
A three-alarm fire has displaced residents of 70 units across two connected buildings in Toronto’s Thorncliffe Park neighborhood, according to Toronto Fire Services. Firefighters responded to a call at 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr. shortly before 2 p.m. on wednesday, and the fire later spread to 21 Overlea Blvd.
The fire is proving challenging to extinguish, with insulation burning between the walls of the buildings and raising carbon monoxide levels. Evacuations were carried out as a precaution, affecting units on seven floors – three in one building and four in the other.
“It’s a very stubborn, slow fire. We’re on it,” said Commander Robert Hewson near the scene. “We’re working on extinguishing the fire. CO levels are going down, currently.”
Power to both buildings has been shut off by Toronto Hydro, impacting electrical equipment in an underground vault. The utility stated it will assess the damage and begin repairs once the fire is fully contained, but has not provided an estimated time for power restoration.
The fire was initially discovered in a smouldering electrical panel in the basement parking level, wich houses electrical panels for both buildings, according to Toronto fire Services public information officer Alex Vashkevich.
No injuries have been reported. TTC bus service is disrupted in the area, with buses rerouted between Overlea boulevard and Thorncliffe Park Drive. Road closures are also in effect.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Hewson stated there was no timeline for when residents would be permitted to return to their units. ”We’re not there yet. We’re still working on it… A little bit too early to tell that. We’re still working on scaling it down.”
