Toronto paramedics say a woman is in life-threatening condition after emergency services were called to a fire Sunday morning.
Police said they were called to the area of Bellamy Road and Eglinton Avenue East just before 11 a.m.
A police spokesperson told Global News a neighbour upstairs reported hearing an explosion, but officers could not confirm if there was one or not.
They said emergency crews found a woman, who is believed to be in her 30s, in the stairwell.
Paramedics said the patient was in cardiac arrest at one point. She was taken to Scarborough General Hospital in life-threatening condition.
Toronto Fire Services said when firefighters arrived, there was heavy smoke coming from the balcony. A spokesperson said the fire was quickly knocked down and firefighters worked to ventilate the building.
Fire Chief Matthew Pegg later told Global News firefighters entered the suite of origin, which was on the second floor of the building.
“They very quickly controlled the fire and prevented it from spreading to other units,” he said.
“Unfortunately in the course of the primary search they did discover one occupant inside the building. She was immediately rescued and removed to the outside.”
Pegg said her vital signs were absent when they found her, he was told, and firefighters began performing CPR before transferring the patient to paramedics.
He added that working on hot days can prove to be a challenge for firefighters.
“There are two real challenges today for fire fighters: one is keeping them hydrated and second is keeping their core temperature at a safe level.”
Meanwhile, other residents were unscathed and Adam Duncan said it was his cat, Weezy, who made sure that was the case for him.
“He woke me up. He came in and jumped on me,” he said.
“So when I woke up he’s like, ‘get up, this isn’t a drill, this is a real fire,’ so I was like oh my god. So I got the cat and raced out.”
Investigators said they’re still looking into the cause of the fire.
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