Firefighters are continuing to battle a blaze at an under construction home in Lawrence Park that began late Thursday night and continued to burn overnight.
The fire began in the basement of the unoccupied home located on Rochester Avenue near Lawrence and Bayview avenues at around 7 p.m.
Acting Division Commander Doug Harper told CP24 that crews initially tried to battle the fire from inside the 5,000 square foot structure but had to retreat to a defensive position after about 20 minutes due to the “lightweight construction.” He said that there is currently a six-alarm response in place to accommodate the need to frequently rotate out crews amid the extreme cold.“The good news is no firefighter has been injured tonight which is great news but it is a challenge,” he said. “Everything from the ladder work, you see the crews up on the roof, that is a real challenge for our staff. The guys are working cautiously and we are very aware of the environment.
Smoke and flames were visible at the scene as recently at 4 a.m. but the fire is now believed to be mostly contained.“It could be a very long day,” he said. “We might need some heavy equipment for the simple reason that we have been applying the water but because of the construction and the way it collapses we just can’t get to the voids where the fire still is.”
A number of TTC buses have been brought to the scene to provide shelter for firefighters battling the blaze.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Crews hauling away snow from streets for first time since 2010Crews have begun hailing away snow from some neighbourhood and arterial streets, a step that officials say hasn’t been necessary since 2010.
Read more »
Tensions rise in Venezuela as crews work to restore power after massive outageThe power outage struck Caracas at the peak of the evening rush hour on Thursday and was still wreaking havoc more than 14 hours later
Read more »
Fortis B.C. upgrades will require road closures in Burnaby this weekCrews have started tearing up sections of Lougheed Highway to complete upgrades on a natural gas line. Check our map to see what’s affected.
Read more »
Nightly subway closures on part of Line 1 this week as TTC upgrades signal systemA nightly subway closure will be in effect on a busy stretch of Line 1 this week as TTC crews carry out upgrade work.
Read more »
Eyes in the sky: Heat-seeking drones used in tornado rescueRescue crews didn't have to stumble through every destroyed building in their search for victims after a tornado ravaged a corner of Alabama this week: They used heat-seeking drones to let them know whether there was anyone beneath the ruins.
Read more »
One-man wrecking crew Brandon Lowe drives in all six runs as Rays top JaysTampa Bay’s Lowe took it to Toronto with a three-run homer, two-run double and run-scoring single in pre-season game
Read more »
Richmond farmer's home construction stymied by new regulationsThe city issued and then rescinded a building permit for a large home on farmland, citing new provincial limits on house sizes.
Read more »