An elderly man who was rescued from a fire at an east-end apartment building is in hospital in life-threatening condition.
Officials said the fire broke out on the seventh floor of a Toronto Community Housing building located at 444 Lumsden Ave., near Main Street and Danforth Avenue, shortly before 6 a.m. on Friday.
Toronto Fire Capt. Dave Eckerman said it appeared that the two-alarm fire had started on a couch, then spread through the rest of the studio apartment.
A man had to be rescued by firefighters from the apartment, but was conscious and breathing at the time. He was rushed to a nearby trauma centre for treatment for carbon monoxide and smoke inhalation.
The fire was extinguished by approximately 6:30 a.m., and officials did not need to evacuate the building. No one else was injured.
The Office of the Fire Marshal has been called to investigate. Police said the tenant is a smoker, and it's possible that a cigarette sparked the fire.
