Several residents of two Thorncliffe Park condos displaced as crews battle ‘stubborn’ 4-alarm fire

Fire officials and Mayor Chow give an update after a fire forced residents to evacuate two apartment buildings in Thorncliffe Park.

Two condo buildings in Thorncliffe Park have been evacuated as crews battled a “stubborn” four-alarm fire on Thursday that resulted in a power outage.

Toronto Fire Service (TFS) said they responded to 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr. shortly after 1:30 p.m. and, upon arrival, encountered smoke on multiple levels.

“We found higher amounts of smoke in the underground, and it appeared the fire origin might have been caused by electrical,” TFS Acting Division Commander Robert Hewson told CTV News Toronto.

As a result, Toronto Hydro crews were called to shut off the power to the building and 21 Overlea Blvd., where the fire spread.

“Through investigation and firefighting efforts, we now realize that there is insulation burning in between the walls. It’s very stubborn, slow fire,” Hewson said. “We’re on it.”

The fire, he noted, is producing increased levels of carbon monoxide, prompting them to evacuate floors three, four and five in one building and floors three, four and a couple of penthouses in the other.

“We did this on a precautionary basis because of the (CO) levels on the floor we read. We brought them down into a safer place to shelter in TTC buses,” Hewson said.

He noted that about 70 units were displaced but could not confirm the exact number of residents.

No injuries have been reported.

There is no estimated time when residents could return to their homes.

“We’re still working on it. We do have (Toronto Hydro) with us testing the hydro systems right now in one of the buildings,” Hewson said.

“Everything is going smoothly for us but a little bit too early to tell that. We’re still working on scaling it down.”

The cause, origin and circumstances of the fire are unknown.

Sheen Sotea lives at 21 Overlea Blvd. She was watching TV when the alarm in her unit went off.

Sotea recounted that she thought it was a fire drill or a false alarm until she smelled smoke.

“I went down because I can’t really breathe properly inside,” she told CP24. When she got to the lobby, everyone was there waiting for information about what was happening.

Sotea is concerned that the power outage could take hours or days to resolve.

Anna Arella said the smell of smoke in her unit did not bother her, so she decided to shelter in place. She only left when the power went out.

“I was doing the schoolwork. It’s exam season, so it’s been hard not being able to charge my computer and do work,” Arella said.

Toronto Hydro, in a statement, said once the fire has been fully contained, they will assess the impacted equipment and determine the next steps for repair.

“For safety, Toronto Hydro disconnected power to the damaged equipment, which is currently impacting less than 20 customers, including some multi-residential buildings,” Toronto Hydro said.

“At this time, we don’t have an estimated time of restoration, but we appreciate everyone’s patience as we work with Toronto Fire to assess and address the damage.”

With files from Beatrice Vaisman