1 person pulled from unit following North York highrise fire has died

Steve Ryan reports the latest from the scene of a deadly fire at an apartment building near Jane Street and Finch Avenue in North York.

One person pulled from an apartment building unit that caught fire in North York has died, say officials.

Speaking with the media at the scene on Tuesday afternoon, Toronto Fire Services Cmdr. Robert Hewson said crews were called to a highrise at 5 Needle Firway, near Finch Avenue West and Jane Street, just before 12:15 p.m. after receiving 911 calls about a fire near the top floor of the building.

Upon arrival, firefighters encountered flames and saw black smoke coming from the penthouse level of the building, Hewson said.

They then made entry and rescued a person from a unit on the 12^th floor.

“Crews made an aggressive attack on the fire and a very quick subsequent rescue. Unfortunately, the occupant of the building succumbed to their injuries,” he said, adding that investigators are on the scene waiting until the overhaul is completed before commencing their investigation.

“Condolences from Toronto Fire Services to friends and family.”

The commander said it appears that the fire was contained to the apartment of origin.

The cause and circumstances of the fire are unknown.

Toronto fire said primary and secondary searches are complete and the fire is now out.

‘Systems in place for calls like this’

Hewson went on to say that battling fires in highrises presents some unique challenges as they take about twice as many staff.

“You’re dealing with elevators and we only put a certain amount of firefighters in the elevator to start, and we start to utilize stairwell, and it’s a coordinated effort. It does take more time, but we also send a lot more crews, staff, firefighters to the scene,” he said.

“We have systems in place for calls like this.”

The investigation into the cause, origin, and circumstances of this fire, which is a joint effort between Toronto police, the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office and our own TFS investigators, is in the early stages, Hewson said.