York Regional Police say a 12-year-old boy is still unaccounted for after a house fire in Markham on Sunday.
Police said emergency services responded to a call about a fire at a home on Bur Oak Avenue just after 10 a.m.
A police spokesperson said there were reports of a “large bang … consistent with something like an explosion.”
Officers arrived on scene and found three people suffering from injuries. They were transported to hospital.
Investigators said a family of five lived in the home; a six-year-old boy, a 14-year-old boy and their 41-year-old mother are all in hospital in critical condition.
Police initially said the six-year-old child was a girl, but corrected that on Monday.
The father was unharmed as he wasn’t at home at the time of the fire.
Police said a third boy is still unaccounted for.
The Ontario Fire Marshal is currently on scene. The investigation is ongoing.
The area of Bur Oak Avenue between Kennedy Road and William Berczy Boulevard remains closed at this time.
Neighbouring structures also suffered damage in the fire. It is unclear as to the cause of the fire.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the York Regional Police #5 District Criminal Investigations Bureau 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7541 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
—With files from Ryan Rocca