Toronto firefighters knock down smoky three-alarm fire near Queen and Bathurst

A smoky three-alarm fire that broke out shortly before 6:30 a.m. at a three-storey residential/commercial property at 559 Queen St. W. is now out.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and were able to quickly knock down a portion of the fire, but Toronto Fire Services (TFS) said they initially had to deal with a “very dynamic situation” that caused "heavy smoke conditions."

Shortly before 10 a.m., Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop told CP24 that the fire, which spread to a second adjoining building, impacted a totoal of five units causing "significant fire and water damage."

A bus was brought in to shelter the displaced tenants/residents. The city's Office of Emergency management is assisting these individuals should they require temporary shelter, he said.

There are no reports of injuries, TFS said in a tweet. Crews did however rescue three people from the roof of one of the buildings.

Jessop said said firefighters are now in the overghaul stages and are working to ensure there are no remaining hot spots.

"The women and men did a fantastic job of containing the fire especially in these older buildings downtown," he said, noting many older buildings in the downtown core have common attics and basements and no firestopping measures.

Jessop also expressed his appreciation to the public.

"We really want to thank the citizens today for their patience with the interruption of TTC service during the morning rush. And our goal right now is to make sure that we have the TTC available, certainly for the afternoon rush," he said.

Motorists as well as transit users should note that the eastbound lanes of Queen Street West are currently blocked at Portland Street. Police are urging those affected to take an alternate route.

In the coming days, TFS's investigative team will be looking into the origin, cause, and circumstances of this fire.