A man has died in hospital after being pulled from a house fire in North York early Saturday morning.
Shortly before 7:30 a.m., Toronto Fire responded to a house fire at 14 Calais Avenue near Lexfield Avenue and Richard Clark Drive.
The fire appears to have started in the basement.
“They arrived to discover what we call working fire. Thus the presence of smoke and flames. The first priority, always, for crews is to get in and conduct a search and rescue,” Fire Chief Matthew Pegg told CP24 at the scene.
During their search, crews located a man in the basement who was later removed from the home.
The man, who is 61, was rushed to the hospital in life-threatening condition but was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later, Pegg said.
“First of all, we extend our sincerest condolences to the family, friends and all those affected by this tragic fire.”
It appears only one person was in the home at the time of the fire, according to Pegg.
The fire is now under control and crews are on site to check for hot spots.
The fire rose to a third alarm at its peak with about 70 firefighters attending the scene.
“So technically we went to a third. It’s what I would describe as a precautionary third alarm that was mostly operating at a second alarm level, but the incident commander, appropriately enough, escalated to a third alarm just to make sure “We have enough people,” Pegg said.
The cause and origin of the fire is unknown.
Pegg said today’s wet weather made it difficult to put out the fire.
“Operating in this kind of temperature and humidity is very, very difficult for firefighters in their protective gear. So our rehabilitation specialists and our colleagues at Toronto Paramedic Services pay close attention to them to making sure core body temperatures are safe and everyone is safe and accounted for.”
An investigation is underway and the Fire Marshal has been informed.