Two are dead, a dozen were taken to hospital after fire broke out at a seniors’ apartment building in Scarborough’s Malvern neighbourhood.
Ages and genders are not known.
Nor is the cause of the blaze that is said to have started in the hallway of the fifth floor.
Fire Division Commander Bob O’Halloran says the smoke made it hard for firefighters and residents.
”Unfortunately, when you’re trying to evacuate a floor for smoke you knock on doors and sometimes people don’t hear you, don’t answer their door. And so if we don’t have keys we have to force the doors to make sure people are out of there. So we forced quite a few doors.”
O’Halloran adds some residents escaped to safety down ladders.
The building at 1315 Neilson Road near Sewells Road, Neilson Hall Apartments, is run by Toronto Community Housing.