Toronto Fire Services says one person is dead after a fire broke out at a home in the city’s eastend early Thursday that likely did not have working smoke alarms.
Firefighters were called to a two-storey, semi-detached home on Gerrard Street and Coxwell Avenue at around 5:30 a.m. where smoke and fire were visible, fire officials said.
One person was found dead inside the home, officials said. No other injuries were reported.
Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg told reporters that as many as seven people were living in “this rooming house type home.”
“It has been shared with me that some of the tenants are indicating there was no working smoke alarms,” Pegg said.
Pegg re-iterated smoke alarms need to be tested to make sure they work and are not older than 10 years old.
Only one home was affected and the fire did not spread to neighbouring homes, officials said.
Fire investigators and police investigators have launched an investigation into what happened. The fire has since been put out.
“That will give us the information we need to understand where this fire started, what caused it and what all of the circumstances contributed to the loss of life here today,” Pegg said.
The deceased person’s age, gender or cause of death was not released.