Seven residents and five police officers are in hospital following a Saturday morning fire at a downtown apartment building.
Toronto Police said officers, firefighters and paramedics were called at approximately 10:40 a.m. for a fire at the highrise located on Bleecker St. near St. James Ave., just east of Sherbourne St., in St. James Town.
The fire began on the sixth floor of a Toronto Community Housing building.
“The firefighters battled their way down the hallway to extinguish a fire,” Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop told reporters at the scene. “It took quite a time to find the scene of the fire.”
Aerial ladders were also used to rescue residents trapped on their balconies.
“This has been a significant fire, and we have had multiple crews,” Jessop said. “Not only were we fighting the fire, we were performing multiple exterior rescues as well as interior rescues, while at the same time starting to ventilate smoke and then concurrently responding to numerous 911 calls from people that were in their units where smoke was migrating in.”
Police said the fire was put out by 1:30 p.m.
Three floors of the building were evacuated due to the smoke while other residents were told to shelter in place.
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Jessop said while the officers’ injuries were “non-serious,” he had no information on the condition of the residents in hospital.
Police later said cops were being treated for smoke inhalation.
Mayor Olivia Chow attended the scene following a ceremony at City Hall commemorating the 60th anniversary of Canada’s flag.
“Our thoughts are with the first responders and residents injured and displaced by the apartment fire on Bleecker Street today,” the Mayor shared on social media.
“Thank you to the firefighters, paramedics and police who responded quickly to take care of tenants. The City will work in partnership with TCHC to coordinate temporary shelter and support for tenants through this difficult situation.”
Toronto Centre MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam visited the site of the blaze and spoke with residents displaced by the fire who are now “resting and recovering” at the Wellesley Community Centre.
“I want to thank the firefighters, paramedics and police who responded to the situation quickly and got residents to safety,” Wong-Tam wrote on social media. “Some have been transferred to the hospital for further care and I know that they are getting the very best medical care possible.”
Wong-Tam, who also served on City Council from 2010 to 2022, added many vulnerable tenants could be significantly impacted due to their temporary displacement.