A man who had to be rescued by firefighters after a blaze inside a community housing building has now been taken into custody on the suspicion of arson.
The two-alarm fire broke out inside a fourth floor unit at a building on Davenport Road near Avenue Road at around 6:50 a.m.
When crews first arrived on scene, they had some trouble gaining entry to the unit. They then broke down the door and found that the man and his dog were barricaded inside. Sources tell CP24 that a mattress and other furniture was used to block the entrance.
“The crews made their way up to the floor and had to force entry into the apartment and basically sheltered him (the man) in place on the balcony until they knocked the fire down,” Platoon Chief Kevin Aucoin told CP24 at the scene. “Our crews did a great job. No one got hurt and we operated safely here.”
Aucoin said that smoke from the fire “spread onto multiple floors” and a decision was made to get residents to shelter in place while the premises were cleared of smoke.
He said that about 12 fire trucks were at the scene at the height of the blaze.
“The danger is the smoke in these calls and not necessarily the fire. The smoke is what kills people,” he said.
The man was treated for smoke inhalation by paramedics on scene and has since been transported to hospital as a precaution.
It is not clear what charges he will face.
