North York highrise fire ruled accidental; one dead

A fire broke out in a highrise apartment building in North York last week, resulting in the death of a woman and leaving a man in critical condition. The fire happened on Grenoble Drive near Eglinton Avenue East and Don Mills Road on Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters arrived shortly before 3:30 p.m. to find flames on the 21st floor. They rescued several residents from the building. Tragically, a woman was found and pronounced dead at the scene. A man was taken to the hospital, where he remains in life-threatening condition. Toronto police later reported that the fire was deemed "accidental." Many residents in the building were evacuated as smoke filled the halls. One resident, Martin Lyght, expressed his sadness after hearing about the woman's death. Fire Chief Jim Jessop described the conditions firefighters faced. They encountered significant flames and high heat with no visibility when they entered the unit. He noted that the fire was contained to the one unit, but the rest of the building suffered smoke and heat damage. In highrise fires, it is often safer for residents to stay put in their units rather than leave. After about two hours, most residents were allowed to re-enter the building, except for those on the 21st floor. The building was constructed in 1966 and has a total of 217 units. Emergency crews were praised for their quick response and effective firefighting efforts during the incident.