Elderly man dead after east end highrise blaze

An elderly man is dead after a blaze in a unit inside an east end highrise overnight, Toronto fire officials said Wednesday.

Crews responded to a call about the fire shortly before 3:30 a.m. and arrived to the residential tower on Strathmore Boulevard to find smoke pouring from a home on the 13th floor. The fire was quickly upgraded to a second alarm, said deputy fire Chief Jim Jessop.

Firefighters made their way into the unit and managed to knock down the blaze without significant difficulty, according to Platoon Chief Don Beam, who was on scene throughout the night.

One man in his 70s was found inside the apartment with "severe burns to major portions of his body," said Beam.

He was transported to hospital in life-threatening condition, and pronounced dead shortly after, Jessop confirmed.

Toronto Fire Service investigators, Toronto police and representatives from the Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal are expected to be on scene throughout the morning.

"I'm sure we'll be here most of the day," said Jessop.

Another man in his 60s was killed in a blaze in the same highrise building last November, according to local media reports.