Woman dead following Mimico apartment fire, police say

A woman has died following a fire at an apartment complex in Mimico, police said Monday.

Toronto police said they were called at around 11:26 a.m. to the Cavell Avenue and Royal York Road area for a report of a fire.

Police said an apartment on the top floor was completely engulfed in flames when they arrived.

Fire crews and police officers had to force their way into a seventh-floor apartment to rescue a woman trapped inside. The woman was later pronounced dead at the scene.

A police officer also suffered minor injuries during the incident.

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s (OFM) office has been called in to investigate the cause of the blaze.

Spokesman for the OFM, Manny Garcia said there is no evidence to suggest the fire was suspicious, but the investigation is still in the early stages.

“We work it systematically, so that will be part of the process. How did that individual not escape? Were they overcome? Did they have some sort of medical emergency prior to the fire? These are all things that we standardly look at in each and every fire,” he said.

Garcia said there is no fear of any structural damage to the building.

“These units are a result of years and years of building code and fire code improvement and that’s why they are self contained and they really allow other people within the structure to survive,” he said. “The unit may need to be completely gutted out, but as far as [the building] being structurally sound, I’m confident it is.”

It is unclear where the fire started at this time.