Emergency crews will remain on the scene of a fire at Jones Avenue Adult Centre overnight.
The blaze broke out just before 5 p.m. on Monday at the Toronto District School Board institution in the area of Danforth and Jones avenues.
Fifteen fire trucks were dispatched to the four-alarm fire at the height of the blaze.
“We have not officially declared the fire under control yet – that will take some time,” Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg told reporters at the scene around 8 p.m. “Our crews are reporting no visible flames at the top.”
“Our operations are scaling down considerably. We’ll certainly have a presence here, we’ll be operating well into the night – likely overnight.”
Officials said the blaze broke out on the third floor of the building.
Aerial footage from the scene captured in the 5 o’clock hour showed flames and grey smoke coming from the roof of the building.
Toronto Fire said seven workers were on the building’s roof when the fire broke out. They were all able to escape uninjured.
Pegg said no other injuries have been reported but noted there is a “large volume of smoke in the area.”
Nearby residents are asked to stay inside and keep their windows closed.
The TDSB said the adult learning centre will remain closed until further notice.
“This is an adult learning centre where second-language speakers come – it’s how they are learning English to get out and learn for their jobs,” Toronto-Danforth city councillor Paula Fletcher said at the scene of the fire.
“I’m going to assume that they won’t be here tomorrow but really it will be up to the TDSB and fire officials to know just how long this school will be closed. There are hundreds and hundreds, if not a thousand students, at this location.”
