Woman in critical condition after 'hot, heavy' fire rips through 2nd floor of Chinatown building
A woman in her 50s has been taken to hospital in life-threatening condition after a fire broke out in a building in Toronto's Chinatown on Saturday afternoon.
Black smoke could be seen coming from the upper floors of the building at 111 D'Arcy Street near Spadina Avenue around 3 p.m., police say.
"[Crews] got in quickly under very extreme heat, flame and smoke conditions," Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop told reporters on Saturday.
"Substantial damage inside — it was a hot, hot heavy fire."
The woman, who was without vital signs when fire crews found her, was removed through a second floor window, Jessop said.
Paramedics rushed her to a nearby hospital.
The Ontario Fire Marshal is expected to arrive on the scene Saturday night. Exactly what type of occupancy classification the damaged building has will be a "crucial" part of the investigation, Jessop said, adding that it is a "complex building" with a commercial or assembly space on the bottom and what he said looked like occupants or tenants on the second floor.
"At this point, it's way too early to tell what they were really using the upstairs for," Jessop explained.
D'Arcy Street will remain closed between Spadina Avenue and Huron Street for the investigation.
