A man who is believed to have been homeless was found dead inside a burned makeshift shelter in the east end of Toronto on Tuesday night.
Firefighters were called to the blaze at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday at 1940 McCowan Rd., just north of Nugget Avenue.
The fire was in a makeshift shelter at the back of a property belonging to Dufferin Concrete. From the CTV News helicopter, the shelter appeared to be made of pieces of scrap wood and metal, built in the middle of some bushes behind the concrete yard.
When the fire was extinguished, firefighters found a man's body inside. Officials on scene said the man is believed to have been homeless, and may have started the fire to keep warm.
Police said that foul play was not suspected, but the Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating.
"It's really just underlining what I said before," Toronto Mayor John Tory said Wednesday.
"One death is one too many and this is a sad death, regardless of the circumstances."
The incident follows the deaths of three homeless people in the city last week. All three are believed to have died as a result of freezing temperatures.
The city has issued six extreme cold weather alerts so far this year.
Tory said the city has learned to be more flexible with warming centre hours and shelter rules. He said there will be some kind of increase in availability of shelter for Toronto's most vulnerable by the end of the week, but did not provide details.
Tory said there will be a full report on homelessness and the Toronto shelter system coming out in March which will have budget recommendations for permanent solutions.
