A large fire broke out in a residence in Scarborough early Saturday morning, killing an elderly man and injuring many firefighters.
At 3:39 a.m., Toronto police were dispatched to 225 Scarborough Golf Club Road, near Kingston Road, for reports of a fire in a townhome’s basement.
The fire soon grew to three alarms, necessitating a massive response from hundreds of firefighters.
Five firefighters fell through a floor during their primary search, according to Acting Fire Chief Jim Jessop, and needed assistance to get out of the house.
Twice firefighters made “mayday” calls, indicating personnel were trapped or injured and requires assistance, Jessop said.
Several firefighters were later taken to hospital and all were later released.
Further along in their search, fire crews located a person inside the building and brought them to a waiting ambulance.
That victim was later pronounced deceased at the scene.
A woman at the scene said the deceased was her grandfather.
She said her grandfather suffered from Alzheimer’s and was unable to flee the home when everyone else did.
Toronto police, the Office of the Fire Marshal and the coroner are now investigating the circumstances that led to the fire.
Neighbours told CP24 that fire alarms in the townhouses were checked and fixed if necessary one week ago.
Source_ cp24.com
