Fire that damaged Agincourt Recreation Centre deemed 'accidental'

A massive, destructive fire that damaged a Scarborough recreation centre last week has been deemed “accidental” by the Ontario Fire Marshal.

The Agincourt Recreation Centre went up in flames on Jan. 31, forcing patrons outside in the frigid cold, some wearing only gym gear and swimsuits.

The fire progressed rapidly and escalated to a four-alarm within hours.

It wasn’t until Saturday morning, after two days of non-stop firefighting, that it was considered to be extinguished.

Toronto Fire Services said the location of the fire – concentrated to the roof above a swimming pool – hampered their efforts and forced firefighters to tackle the blaze from the exterior of the building instead of inside.

“We worked more than 36 hours. It was difficult from a fire fight perspective, but extremely difficult given the weather,” Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said.

“Fortunately we managed to run that entire incident and mitigate that without any injury to anyone, which is obviously priority number one, so I’m very thankful for that.”

The bone-chilling temperatures did not make things easier. On several occasions, pumper trucks froze and had to be pulled from service. By Saturday, the building was almost completely coated in a thick layer of ice.

On Wednesday, officials with the OFM confirmed that the fire started on the exterior north wall of the building.  It has been classified as an accidental fire.

“They’re still working on the specific cause analysis but they have indicated to us that there is no indication of it being suspicious,” Pegg said.

“I would expect there will be some time before we know the specifics as to origin, cause and circumstances and what actually contributed to that fire.”

No one was hurt during the ordeal.

Officials have yet to provide an estimate for the damage, though it has been described as “fairly extensive.”

In the aftermath, Toronto Mayor John Tory vowed to rebuild the recreation centre.

The centre is home to a number of local clubs and programs, including the Agincourt Lions Club, the Agincourt Lawnbowling Club and the Agincourt Tennis Club.

In the wintertime, the rec centre sees about 3,000 registrations and offers more than 400 programs and courses.

Tory said the building is covered by an insurance policy with a $5 million deductible.