One person is dead following a two-alarm fire at an apartment building in Scarborough. The fire broke out at a building near Neilson Road and McLevin Avenue shortly before 8 a.m. Deputy Chief Paul Fitzgerald said the living area of a unit on the 16th floor was “ablaze” when firefighters arrived on scene. “There was no one found during the searches, so we had to breach the door,” Fitzgerald said. The blaze was quickly knocked down and did not spread to other units. One person was found without vital signs outside on the ground below, he confirmed. Crews attempted CPR on the victim, but they were pronounced dead at the scene. Officials did not release details about the identity of the victim, saying only that they were an adult. Some units may see smoke and water damage as a result of the firefighting operations, Fitzgerald added. The cause, origin, and circumstances of the fire will be investigated by Toronto Fire, Toronto police, and the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM). He said investigators are speaking with witnesses to determine if the victim self-evacuated from the unit where the fire started. Officials say there is currently nothing to indicate that the blaze is suspicious. “We will be working collaboratively with Toronto Fire and Toronto Police regarding this incident. Our main responsibilities will be to find the origin, cause, and circumstances around this incident,” said Jim Demetriou of the OFM.
