Firefighters who extinguished a blaze at a Toronto's west end said that the building had 10 smoke detectors, but only one was working.
The fire broke out at a building in on Wilson Park Road in Parkdale at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, and was extinguished a short time later.
Though the blaze was brief, three people were taken to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation. One of them was in critical condition at the time, but is expected to survive. Another person was treated by paramedics at the scene.
“It was horrible,” said Nicole Sky, the victim who was treated at the scene. “I tried to go back in. You couldn’t even back in. There was way too much smoke—way too much.”
Officials said it was a kitchen fire stemming from an unattended pot on the stove on the first floor, and was not suspicious.
However, Toronto Fire District Chief Chris Bertram said the Ontario Fire Marshal has been called to the scene because of something firefighters discovered while inside the house.
Bertram said the large building had only one working smoke detector. The other nine did not work due to missing batteries or cut wires.
The one detector that was working was emitting a very quiet alarm because its batteries were dying, he said.
Bertram said more should be done to educate people about the importance of smoke detectors.
“This is something we sadly encounter too, too often and public education has to continue and landlords have to inspect their properties and keep them up to working conditions at all times,” he said.
It is illegal for tenants to remove the batteries from smoke alarms or tamper with them in any way. Violating the fire code could cost tenants anywhere from a $235 ticket to a $100,000 fine.
The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office has been called in to investigate why the smoke detectors were not working.
With a report from CTV Toronto’s Scott Lightfoot
