Man, 18, dies in TCH fire; younger brother and mom critically injured

An 18-year-old man has died and his mother and younger brother are fighting for their lives in hospital after a two-alarm fire at a Toronto Community Housing apartment building in Lawrence Heights.

Firefighters were called to the building on Flemington Road, near Allen Road, around 9:40 p.m. on Monday.

Toronto Fire said the fire broke out in a unit on the first floor. The fire originated in the living room and was contained there, the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal said. An investigator with the marshal’s office said that the fire damage is limited but there is heavy soot and smoke, which is indicative of a slow, smouldering fire.

On Tuesday, police said the victim’s 16-year-old brother and his mother, who is believed to be in her 40s, remain in hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The building was evacuated and residents were housed in a community centre across the street. Several residents have since been allowed to return.

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office expects staff to spend much of Tuesday looking for a cause and source of the fire and to determine if the smoke detection system was working.

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