A Stubborn Blaze Reignites Suspicion As It Spreads Into A 5-Alarm Inferno

Then it broke out again a second time, leaving crews in the daunting position of battling a major 5-alarm fire at the New York Pork and Food Exchange at St. Clair & Runnymede into the night and early morning. 

The blaze reignited around 7am, after it first broke out at 4 in the morning. There’s no word on the cause or how it re-started after crews apparently had it under control.

And despite the valiant efforts of firefighters, the roof caved in just after noon.

More than 40 pumpers and 120 firefighters were on scene of the blaze, which spread to the walls of the building.

“We had the majority of the fire knocked down but the fire got into the walls of a packed freezer room,” explains Captain David Sheehan. “The freezer room had walls that were triple the thickness of bricks. As well, the roof in the room was about two, three feet thick.

“We could not breach the walls of the freezer so it made entry into the freezer area very difficult … It was like a maze in there, between sides of animals hanging and meat hooks and freezer walls and it seemed like they took three steps in any direction and they met up with a wall.”

Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, but heavy smoke led to the precautionary evacuation of several homes located just north of the plant. There weren’t any toxic substances involved, but no one was taking any chances.

“My understanding is that the main evacuation is for three streets north and east of the building,” Sheehan outlines.

Those who worked at the facility are in shock about the destruction – and their lost livelihoods.

“I can’t believe it. I can’t imagine this whole block just like that,” an employee named Earl, who worked there as a butcher, laments. “I’m thinking about the bills, my daughter my mom, rent. Everything’s gone.”

Because of the ongoing fire fight, St. Clair West between Keele and Runnymede was closed for hours as crews tried to douse the stubborn flames. 

“We certainly hope St. Clair is open (on Tuesday),” said  Toronto Fire Division Commander Ron Jenkins.  “Obviously it’s a main artery in the city. We have to get that open for the people of Toronto to get to work and we’ll be doing everything to get that open. The way it looks right now, we should be able to have that open in the morning.”

The Fire Marshal’s Office is waiting for the danger to be doused before moving in and checking on what sparked the inferno.

But they have good reason to wonder. Many residents have been pushing for the plant to be moved since it was first built. They argue it doesn’t belong in a residential area.

“Glad to see it gone,” offers Jeff Graham, who lives nearby. “Property value’s going to go up.”

“It is routine that we notify the Fire Marshal’s Office and they do come out and investigate,” adds Jenkins in an exclusive interview with CityNews.

“It’s unknown if it’s suspicious circumstances at this time…We’ll be on scene all night and well into tomorrow. The Fire Marshal’s returning tomorrow (Tuesday) morning first thing to begin his investigation, and our crews will be on scene assisting him.”

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It wasn’t the only blaze keeping crews busy Monday. A Brampton townhouse erupted into flames overnight in the Kennedy and Williams Parkway area.

The fire caused major damage to the structure but fortunately everyone made it out in time. Some area residents had to be evacuated from their homes for safety reasons and they were given shelter in a transit bus.

There’s no word yet on how much damage was caused or what started the fire.

Toronto firefighters also had their hands full early Monday at another blaze on Chatterton Blvd., near Eglinton and Kingston.

Crews arrived on the scene at about 2:30am and spent more than two hours putting it out. There were no reports of injuries.

And an electrical fire in a high-rise building near Queen St. and Roncesvalles Ave. brought Toronto Fire out at about 8:30pm Sunday.

Dozens of people were forced to leave the building after flames spread from the ninth floor hydro room. Crews were forced to deal with burnt wiring in the blaze.

Anyone with information about the suspicious fires can call Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

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So what constitutes a five-alarm fire?

David Sheen of Toronto Fire Services outlined the staged response to blazes. These numbers are only meant to be a guide and fire officials noted that different blazes require different responses, so the number of crew and equipment that are called out for these staged responses can vary.

1st Alarm

2 pumpers, 1 aerial truck, and 1 district chief

If it’s downtown or involves a highrise building, a highrise truck is used. If it’s a working fire an air supply truck, which provides breathing cylinders, and a heavy rescue squad are called.

2nd Alarm

5 pumpers, 2 aerials, 1 squad, 1 hazardous materials truck, 2 district chiefs, 1 platoon chief, 1 air supply vehicle, and 1 incident command vehicle.

3rd Alarm

8 pumpers, 3 aerials, 1 squad, 3 district chiefs, 1 platoon, 1 air lights, 1 hazard, 1 command vehicle, 1 division commander,

4th Alarm

11 pumpers, 4 aerials, 1 squad, 4 district chiefs, 1 platoon, 1 air supply vehicle, 1 hazardous materials truck, 1 command vehicle, 1 division commander

5th Alarm

14 pumpers, 5 aerials, 2 squads, 5 district chiefs, 1 platoon, 1 division commander, 1 command vehicles, 2 air supply trucks, 1 hazardous materials vehicles

“Plus, at that level you’re also getting other support staff,” he said.