news
Three Alarm Fire at Queen and Soho
12:10 AM: Division Commander Mike McCoy has told the Globe and Mail that “there was no evidence of structural damage to the building.” Damage seems to be limited to the third floor apartments and the fire is largely out, though some fire fighters are still watching out for hot spots.
Previous updates after the jump.
12:06 AM: One of our staff photographers, Ryan Walker, has just returned from the site of the fire. All visible signs of the fire are out, and fire trucks have already started packing up and moving out of the way.
12:02 AM: An update regarding injuries: the CBC is now reporting that “Two people were sent to hospital, a man in his 40s with smoke inhalation and a second man with anxiety.”
11:16 PM: More from Metro: “The first-floor pub didn’t appear damaged, but officials are expected to review the structural safety of the building before people are allowed to return.”
11:06 PM: Metro editor Fernando Carneiro reports, via Twitter: “Firefighters starting to pack up. Black Bull looks okay, units above not so much.”
11:01 PM: CBC News is reporting that “one person is in critical condition, and a second injured person’s condition was not available.”
10:32 PM: At 9:27 p.m. a dispatch call went out from Toronto Fire Services Communication Centre, for a fire at Queen and Soho. The three alarm fire is believed to be concentrated in the floors above Black Bull Tavern, which with an opening date of 1838 is believed to be Toronto’s oldest (though the Wheat Sheaf lays claim to longest continuous operation, as the Black Bull closed for several years and then reopened). 680 News is reporting that one person who was removed from the building is suffering from smoke inhalation. As of approximately 10:30 p.m. fire officials told the Star that the flames were “knocked down, but it’s still considered a working fire.”
These are the earliest photos of the fire we have available; they were shot at approximately 9:50 p.m.:
