At least 4 homes damaged after 2-alarm fire near Dundas and Spadina
Posted December 14, 2022 7:30 am.
Last Updated December 14, 2022 2:38 pm.
At least four residences were damaged, one severely, after a two-alarm fire broke out at what’s believed to be an abandoned home in downtown Toronto.
The fire started on the first floor of the abandoned home on Grange Avenue, near Dundas Street West and Beverley Street, just after 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
“We encountered heavy flames and lots of smoke,” said Toronto Fire platoon chief Armando Schiarizza. “It was substantial, we had a lot of explosions to deal with.”
The flames spread to the roof and the second floor of the home collapsed.
“We attempted to do a search … but because of the heat and flames it was difficult for our crews to conduct the search so we had to back off and do a defensive attack on this fire.”
No injuries have been reported.
Firefighters worked to put out the fire from the outside and to stop the spread of the fire to adjacent buildings. Neighbouring homes were evacuated and a TTC bus was brought on site to provide shelter.
Three other homes were damaged including a neighbouring residence, also believed to be abandoned, and one that had water damage.
“There were two structures that had fire damage, and because of the structural integrity of one of them it is impacting one of the other addresses,” Schiarizza said.
The fire is now under control and the intense flames have been extinguished.
Schiarizza said it will take some time before displaced residents can go back into their homes.
“At this point because of structural damage, it’s going to take quite some time for the building department to determine the safety and that will coordinate with our fire investigation,” he said.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Grange Avenue is closed between Spadina and Beverley, while Beverley is closed from Dundas to Sullivan Street, and Grange Place and Huron Street are closed from Dundas to south of Grange Avenue.
