One person is dead and three others are injured following a two-alarm fire at a residence in Scarborough Tuesday morning.
It happened at a two-storey semi-detached home on Birkdale Road at around 6:25 a.m.
Fire officials say that crews were able to knock down the flames within about 15 minutes and then found two residents inside the basement that were in need of medical attention. One of those people was rushed to hospital without vital signs and pronounced dead a short time later while the other was taken to hospital in critical condition, where they remain.
Two other people, a 56-year-old man and a 35-year-old man, were also taken to hospital with smoke inhalation and are expected to be OK.
Meanwhile, five pets were rescued from the residence; however two dogs did not survive.
Investigators with the office of the Ontario Fire Marshal are looking into the cause of the blaze and whether or not there were smoke detectors inside the home.
“There is significant damage inside the building so they still haven’t determined whether or not there was any working smoke alarms in there,” Captain Michael Westwood told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. “Right now they are going around the outside of the property and then they will work their way into the home. They will be here for the next couple of days.”
In addition to the four people that were in the basement of the home, fire officials say there were another three upstairs that escaped injury.
Speaking with reporters at the scene, Westwood said that firefighters have heard from neighbours that the power may have been disconnected to the house and that the occupants were using candles to provide light and heat.
“That will be something the fire marshal’s office will be looking at. Candle fires are one of the top five fires that happen in North America and it is always a concern,” he said.
At the height of the fire, 48 firefighters were at the scene of the blaze.
The damage is pegged at between $200,000 and $300,000.
