One man is dead after a house fire early Saturday morning near Royal York Road in the Queensway area of Etobicoke. According to CBC News Toronto, Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop said the blaze started in the basement, and that is where crews found the victim just after midnight, in what turned into a deadly overnight call for firefighters.
The chief described the difficult conditions his crews faced as they arrived. Firefighters made entry into the basement and were met with heavy, heavy black smoke and high heat. On their primary search, they located one individual, who was quickly removed and brought outside, but that person was pronounced deceased on the scene.
The victim has not been publicly identified, but a neighbor who knew him described him as an older man who lived alone. To those on the block, he was a familiar and welcome presence, someone who was part of the fabric of the small residential street where the fire broke out.
That neighbor remembered him warmly as a friendly and helpful man. "He was honestly, he was really funny and silly," she said, recalling how he would come over to hang out and pitch in. "If I'm doing yard work, he would always come over and help. He was just like always there. He was like a neighbor," she said.
For those living nearby, it was a long and anxious night. Neighbors said they were out until around 3 o'clock in the morning, wondering what was going on as emergency crews worked the scene. At one point, they watched as the man was carried out of the home in a blanket.
Others inside the house managed to get out. The neighbor said another woman lived in the upstairs unit of the home with her grandson. Paramedics confirmed that two other people were assessed at the scene but were not taken to hospital, sparing the household further loss beyond the man found in the basement.
No other victims were identified in connection with the fire. Toronto Fire says it is continuing to investigate what caused the blaze, which for now remains undetermined as officials piece together how the fire started in the basement of the Etobicoke home.