One person dead after apartment fire in Toronto’s east end
A person is dead after a fire erupted in an apartment in the city’s east end Saturday morning.
Fire crews responded to a blaze at an apartment building on Victoria Park Avenue, near O'Connor Drive, at around 8:10 a.m.
Crews said the fire was in a unit on the eight floor.
When crews arrived at the scene they were met with heavy smoke and had to force entry into the unit.
“Our crews conducted their primary search very quickly and knocked the fire down, and unfortunately during the primary search we did discover one occupant that was obviously deceased,” Toronto Fire Deputy Chief Jim Jessop said at the scene.
The victim’s identity has not been released but neighbours tell CP24 that a woman lived alone in the unit.
"It's very sad. I knew her well and she was a great person. She always sat and talked to everybody and laughed with everybody. She was really a great person and it's very sad to see her go like that," neighbour Sharon Knapp told CP24.
Officials said the fire was quickly extinguished and no other units were affected.
Jessop noted that surrounding fire alarms did go off to alert nearby residents.
Another neighbour, who identified himself as Larry, lives three doors down from the affected unit and said he saw heavy smoke in the hallway while evacuating the building.
“The alarm went on, opened the door and then I saw smoke so I took the stairwell down cause it’s right on the end,” he said. “Just from the whiff of the smoke it was bad.”
Jessop said the heavy smoke caused more damage to the unit than the actual fire.
“The smoke was significant, heavy smoke conditions that started to migrate through the building. So our crews did a great job, you know, ventilating it out and making sure that it did not contaminate the rest of the building,” he said.
The Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate the cause of the blaze.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.