Residents displaced from TCHC building that caught fire won’t return home Saturday

Residents of a Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) building that were displaced due to a fire Thursday will not be allowed to return home Saturday.

The fire broke out at 5:45 p.m. Thursday at the Toronto Community Housing-owned apartment building on George Street, near Jarvis Street and Dundas Street East after security personnel reported seeing flames outside of a fourth-floor unit.

The fire claimed the life of a man in his 50s and injured four others.

READ MORE: 1 dead, 4 in hospital after downtown Toronto apartment fire

TCHC spokesperson Sara Goldvine said in a statement that “inspection, cleanup and repair work to the first three floors began yesterday, immediately after the Ontario Fire Marshal granted access to begin restoration work.”

Goldvine said the TCHC is working closely with the Ontario Fire Marshal, several city departments, the Red Cross as well as Fred Victor and other social service agencies.

Utility crews were granted temporary access to the fourth floor Friday and again Saturday morning in order for electrical repairs to be completed.

“The preliminary electrical inspection has found that the intensity of the fire caused significant heat and water damage to the electrical system,” Goldvine said.

“The priority now is on repairing the electrical system on the fourth floor so that the heat and hot water can be returned to the building.”

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The first three floors of the building were cleaned Friday night and residents of those units will be allowed to come back once heat and water have been restored. The TCHC said the target day for that is Monday.

The fourth and fifth floors received the bulk of the damage, therefore residents will be temporarily placed in other community housing buildings.

The TCHC said all displaced residents have been offered accommodations at various hotels and have been offered meals and other support. TCHC staff are also at the hotels to provide any further assistance needed.

With files from Nick Westoll