Charges laid in Thorncliffe Park condo fire that burned for weeks

Toronto Fire announced charges against PFC Construction Inc., the Thorncliffe condominium association and management after violations of the Ontario fire code.

Multiple charges have been laid in connection with a high-rise fire at a Thorncliffe Park condo that burned for weeks and displaced hundreds of residents late last year.

Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop announced the charges during a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

He said that a construction company, a property management company and the condo corporation are all facing multiple charges under the Ontario Fire Code.

How did the fire start?

The fire initially began on Nov. 27 during what Jessop described as construction work inside 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr.

“The investigation determined that construction activities were being undertaken at 11 Thorncliffe Park Drive whereby ignition sources were used near combustible materials, causing the fire to ignite,” he said. “Toronto Fire Services was not notified of the fire for over 30 minutes.”

The blaze quickly grew from a two-alarm call into a five-alarm fire and spread to a neighbouring building at 21 Overlea Blvd., forcing the evacuation of all 408 units across both towers.

Jessop said the buildings’ design played a major role in the fire’s spread and longevity.

“The buildings are connected to one another by two exterior walls extending vertically from the basement levels through floors one to 10, where the height of 11 Thorncliffe Park Drive ends... Between the exterior walls a combustible particle board that continued to smolder for several weeks presented one of the most complex, unprecedented and prolonged firefighting challenges ever experienced by Toronto Fire Services,” he said.

Jessop said that the fire burned within concealed spaces between the structures, feeding on combustible materials and making it difficult for crews to access and extinguish.

It smouldered for more than two weeks before it was finally declared out on Dec. 15.

• Residents displaced by stubborn fire to start heading home

As a result of the investigation, Toronto Fire Services has laid multiple charges under the Ontario Fire Code.

Jessop said that PFC Construction Inc. has been charged with multiple violations of the Ontario Fire Code “including failing to protect combustible materials from ignition sources during hot surface applications, failing to conduct a fire watch and ensure a fire warning is sounded to alert occupants and notify the fire department failing to provide portable fire extinguishers when conducting hot surface applications.”

In a statement, the legal counsel for PFC Construction Inc. said the company has co-operated with every step of the investigation thus far and “takes the charges very seriously and will vigorously defend against these charges.”

He said that the condominium corporation associated with 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr., known as Metropolitan Toronto Condominium Corporation, number 956, and their property management company, Del Property Management Inc., are also facing multiple charges under the Ontario Fire Code.

In a statement, Mike Murray, the president of Del Property Management, said the company has co-operated fully with investigators since day one and will continue to do so.

“We continue to reflect on the fire that occurred last November. Our thoughts remain with everyone in the Thorncliffe Park community who was affected by this incident. The circumstances were complex and extremely challenging,” Murray said.

Jessop noted that all defendants are scheduled to appear in the provincial offences court later this month.

The fire displaced hundreds of residents for weeks, with many unable to return home until January as engineers and city officials carried out structural and safety assessments.

At one point, Jessop previously said the incident “tested every resource Toronto Fire Services has.”