Damage estimated at more than $5M after fire tears through Markham townhouse complex

Crews are on scene of a massive fire in Markham that damaged several new townhomes under construction. CP24's Courtney Heels with the latest.

A fire that tore through townhomes under construction in Markham early Tuesday morning likely caused “in excess” of $5 million in damage, the city’s fire chief says.

The fire broke out at a townhouse complex that was under construction near Old Kennedy Road and Aldergrove Drive.

The townhomes were unoccupied at the time of the blaze and no injuries were reported.

“While we lost the original block of four townhouses, we were able to protect six units still under construction on the north side and as many as 12 units on the west side,” Markham Fire Chief Chris Nearing told reporters on Tuesday morning.

The large fire, he said, may have been fed by construction propane cylinders that were on site.

Nearing said it is too early to determine a cause but the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) will be on scene on Tuesday.

He said given the amount of damage, determining a cause may be difficult.

Nearing noted that there are security cameras in the area and investigators are working to secure that footage.

He said he expects crews to be on scene for the remainder of the day.

An OFM spokesperson confirmed to CP24 it will be conducting an investigation.