A Toronto firefighter was rushed to hospital with serious injuries after he was pulled from a two-story building in a three-alarm blaze in the city’s Little Portugal neighbourhood Tuesday morning.
Fire crews responded to the scene around 9 a.m. at 441 Dufferin Street near Alma Avenue.
Officials say the firefighter was found unconscious and was pulled from the building in serious condition. He was transported to hospital where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Interim Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said the injured firefighter was part of the first crew to arrive when they “encountered a high level of heat” during the initial search and rescue operation.
“One firefighter was overcome by the heat. The crew captain called a Mayday and moved everyone outside. Once he was removed, he was found unconscious but soon regained consciousness outside,” Pegg said.
Pegg said two residents from the building were also treated for minor smoke inhalation and taken to hospital as a precaution.
There’s no word yet on the cause of the fire. The Office of the Fire Marshal has been called in for the investigation.
“These types of fires and these types of structures can escalate from several hundred degrees to thousands of degrees in a very quick time period,” said Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop, adding that the firefighter is recovering in hospital.
“He’s in serious but non-life threatening situation and certainly in great care right now.”
Peter Kim contributed to this report
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