Man, 62, arrested in connection to 2‑alarm North York apartment fire
Posted July 10, 2026 11:14 am.
Last Updated July 10, 2026 11:50 am.
Toronto police have made an arrest in a two-alarm fire that tore through the ninth floor of a North York apartment building, sending two people to the hospital.
First responders were called to 1420 Victoria Park Ave. near O’Connor Drive and Eglinton Avenue East just before 2 a.m. on Thursday for reports of a fire.
Fire officials say they were met with black smoke in the hallway on the ninth floor, causing major damage to the corridor and displacing residents in approximately 18 units.
Five people were treated at the scene, including two elderly women who were taken to the hospital, one with serious but non-life threatening injuries and the other with minor injuries.
While the investigation into the origin and cause of the fire continues, Toronto police say their initial probe uncovered evidence that a man started the fire on the ninth floor before fleeing the scene.
Herbert Ward, 62, of no fixed address, was arrested and has been charged with arson/fire or explosion/threatening the safety of another and three counts of disobeying a lawful order of the court.
Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop praised the “heroic” efforts of first responders on Thursday.
“Seeing the conditions that the first responders attended to, their incredible work is the only reason we do not have multiple fatalities to report,” he said.
“They performed heroically, getting up to the ninth floor, battling their way through pitch-black and heavy heat, evacuating seniors out of the floor.”
Jessop went on to say that the fire “destroyed” the ninth floor, and that those units will remain uninhabitable “for a significant amount of time” given the damage to the hallway.
“The fire door that separated the south and north tower absolutely did its job. Very, very little damage on the north side. It held the fire back, it held the smoke back, or we would be even in a more difficult situation than we are right now.”
This is the second fire at the same Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) building in recent days. On June 28, a resident was killed in a separate blaze at the North York address. Chief Jessop said there is nothing to indicate that the two fires are connected.
Files from Lucas Casaletto were used in this report
