Balcony fire at downtown condo building sparked by discarded cigarette

Fire crews say no one was injured after a fire broke out on a balcony in the city's downtown core on June 14, 2017. (Twitter/@MsBCubbins)

A balcony fire in downtown Toronto is the latest in a string of incidents involving carelessly discarded cigarettes.

The blaze comes one week after Toronto Fire Services held a press conference to warn the public about a growing number of balcony fires caused by tossed smokes.

At that time, officials said there had been 27 balcony fires caused by discarded cigarettes, causing more than $300,000 in property damage.

Jessop said Wednesday that the number of incidents has since grown to 30. He did not say where the two additional fires took place.

Today’s fire was sparked around 7 a.m. on a seventh floor balcony of a high-rise building on Adelaide Street West near John Street.

Video from the scene shows a trickle of flames surrounding a barbeque while puffs of dark smoke billow over the balcony railing.

Capt. Michael Westwood told CP24 that crews contained the blaze shortly after they arrived at the scene.

Westwood said no one was injured as a result, but that the property suffered some damage.

Toronto Fire later confirmed that the fire was sparked by a cigarette discarded from a balcony above the site of the blaze.

In all of 2016, Toronto Fire reported 25 fires caused by tossed cigarettes.