Basement fire complicates matters.
Toronto firefighters battle a stubborn 6-alarm blaze in the early hours of Monday morning at 368 College St. Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries and the Fire Marshall's office is investigating the cause of the fire.
Photo/JOHN HANLEY
Roughly 100 firefighters and 20 fire trucks took nearly four hours to battle a six-alarm fire that broke out in the basement of a College Street apartment complex on Sunday, Sept. 5, with some of those living in the apartments still in need of permanent alternate lodging.
The fire started in the basement late Sunday night, which posed problems for fire crews when they arrived at the scene.
"It's difficult to fight a fire in a basement when you have to come down into the heat to fight it," said Captain David Eckerman of Toronto Fire Services. "(Firefighters) were driven out of the basement because of the heat."
Fire crews were further thwarted when the first floor of the building became unstable due to the fire, forcing the firefighters to evacuate.
Eckerman added the sheer number of fire trucks called to battle the blaze caused other problems.
"Because it was such a massive fire, burning from the basement to the roof and all through the walls, the water pressure was not sufficient initially," he said. "We had to call Toronto water works and get them to boost the water pressure."
While the blaze engulfed the apartment complex and a Canada Computers store at the site, surrounding buildings were left relatively unscathed.
That comes as little comfort to residents of the apartment complex, several of whom were University of Toronto students and some of whom had just moved into the building in anticipation of the new school year.
University of Toronto director of student housing services Arlene Clement said the school had heard of seven students who were displaced by the fire. She said they were all arts and science students and were not set to begin classes until next week, adding the university was working with them to find a place to stay throughout the school year.
"The landlord has put them up in a hotel and we are working with them to find housing for the long-term," she said. "Luckily, the landlord gave them back their first and last month's rent. The university was ready to provide them with that if the landlord hadn't."
Clement said most of the students will be staying, at least for the time being, with family in or near Toronto at least temporarily.
At least one family who lived in the building lost virtually everything they owned, leading local record store She Said Boom to start collecting donations for them.
"They live next door to us, so we see them all the time," said Lisa Pereira of She Said Boom. "They lost all their stuff, they had no insurance and the mom is a single mom so this really hurts."
Pereira said the family is living in a nearby hotel for the time being, and said donations to help the family get back on their feet have been coming in since the fire.
"People have been dropping in and leaving gift certificates and gift cards that we've been passing along to her," she said.
She added there was no way of knowing how much has been donated so far, but said the family was left with no more than the pyjamas they were wearing when they fled the fire.
"Anyone who wants to drop off anything for the family, we're happy to pass them along because this family really needs the help right now," she said.
The store will keep in touch with the family to help ensure their needs are met as they rebuild their lives.