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Toronto Fire Services says one person has died after a fire broke out at a city-run shelter space — which was formerly a hotel — in North York on Monday.
Officials said the fire broke out just before 10 a.m. at an address on Wilson Avenue previously known as the Toronto Plaza Hotel, which has been converted to a temporary shelter for people experiencing homelessness since 2016, according to the City of Toronto.
“Upon arrival of our crews, there was smoke emanating from the building,” Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg told reporters. “As always (for) our crews, their first priority is life safety. They made entry into the building for the purposes of search and rescue.”
Firefighters removed one person from the fourth floor from the unit where the fire was coming from, Pegg said.
Toronto paramedics told Global News they assessed two people — one who died at the scene and another who suffered minor injuries.
Pegg confirmed at around 11:30 a.m. that the fire had been extinguished and it was contained to the one unit.
How the fire started is unknown. Pegg said an investigation into the fatal fire’s origin, cause and circumstances will be underway.
Pegg also said the last time the building where the shelter operates was inspected for fire code compliance was in July of 2023. He confirmed the building complied with the fire code and there were no violations.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.