First due companies found a well developed fire in a basement restaurant below a 3br store and office complex. In spite of much cutting and pulling of ceilings, flames continued to burrow through hidden spaces, extending to the first floor. Eventually, with the basement filling with water and live wires posing a danger, interior operations were suspended and two monitors and handlines were set up on Danforth to pour water through the windows. Crews also operated at the rear of the 125’ long building in an effort to cut off the fire as it spread from front to rear. This approach was adhered to throughout the day and into the evening, with crews being rotated from outlying district stations. The tactics had a significant effect as smoke conditions diminished considerably. Heavy damage in the basement and first floor, along with concerns of structural stability kept the TFS from resuming interior operations and an aerial tower was used extensively throughout the day for maximum stream penetration. The on scene assignment was reduced to 2 pumpers and 1 aerial as the stubborn fire continued to burn with no visible changes. As the evening wore on, though, smoke conditions began to change to heavy black smoke pushing under pressure and interior floors and ceiling could be heard collapsing deep inside the building. This provided the ventilation the fire required and it took off, with flames flashing through the upper floors and bursting 30’ out of the front windows. The alarm level was immediately increased and A325 and A125 set up their ladder pipes on Danforth. (This was the first fire for A125’s new quint). A226 set up in the rear and A312 set up on Woodbine to cover exposures, augmenting monitors and big lines. Deep seated fire continued to burn on all three floors and vented through the roof about two hours later. The building smouldered all night and into the next day, with emergency demolition being carried out on Monday. The total loss is $1,500,000 and the cause is unknown.
This building suffered previously with a $135,000 3rd alarm on March 22, 1969 and was the #2 exposure to the 6th alarm explosion and fire on December 25th, 2002. Report © GTMAA Tumpet