HUNDREDS DISPLACED AFTER BUILDING BLAZE
Residents 'stressed' after learning they can't return home for 'some time' after six-alarm fire at highrise,
Keshabaa Malassan’s life is suddenly filled with uncertainty.
His family is among 1,500 residents of a highrise at Parliament and Bloor Sts. who have had to find other places to live after a six-alarm blaze sent heavy smoke through the building.
It’s not clear when residents will be able to return home to 650 Parliament St. On Wednesday, Toronto fire Chief Matthew Pegg and Mayor John Tory told reporters that the fire investigation and building repairs need to be completed before residents can return.
“Our organization is putting a all We’re hands literally on deck,” working Pegg as said. fast as we can.”
Tory, who pleaded for local hotels and people with short- term rentals to help provide another 150 units for displaced families, said residents are unlikely to be able to return anytime soon.
“It is going to be some time,” T Tory said. “They’re not looking to be back in this building tomorrow morning, or anything in that proximity at all.”
“We’ve been honest with residents in saying it is not going to be an immediate thing.”
Two emergency shelters set u up in nearby community cen- tres will remain open for at least another 24 hours.
Tory has promised everyone w will be moved to more suitable temporary housing by end of day Thursday.
Malassan was deep asleep w when he heard the fire alarm go off. Without any power and now working elevator, he and his w wife and child took the stairs f from the 11th floor, leaving “ev- erything” behind.
“We were all terrified,” he said. “Very tired when we got outside.”
City of Toronto officials and R Red Cross Canada opened two centres as 24- hour emergency shelters for affected residents — the nearby Wellesley Comm munity Centre on Sherbourne St. and the Regent Park Community Centre at Shuter St.
The city said about 500 people have registered for help. They included 37 people housed in hotels in Brampton and another 12 in Guelph; 95 people were housed at the Regent Park centre and another 48 at the Wellesley site. Others stayed with friends w and family, Tory estimated somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1,000 people. Malassan and his family found an emergency bed at the Wellesley centre.
He returned to 650 Parliament St. on Wednesday to line u up to collect his family’s belongings, and said he was told only smoke reached their floor.
The fire broke out at around 1 p. m. Tuesday. At least 100 firefighters and 26 fire trucks were called to the 22- floor building. Roughly eight hours later, the fire was extinguished, Pegg told reporters at the building. Four minor injuries were reported.
On Wednesday, police were w working to get people in and out of the building to gather their belongings.
Outside, fire crews could be seen working around the water and electricity lines.
A fire services spokesperson declined to say exactly how long the investigation would take, but described the process as “expeditious.”
Inside the Wellesley centre,
Red Cross staff were busy regis- tering people who needed shelter and food. “We are working in close partnership with the city, and are committed to ensuring people’s immediate needs are being met while they are displaced,” Jen- nifer Ouellette, a Canadian Red
Cross spokesperson, said in an email. Displaced residents were scattered in the hallways, some pushing m carts full of belongings, others pulling their dogs on leashes.
Ralph Hamelmann, a public speaking professor at George Brown College, was in the middle of a psychic reading when the alarm went off. When he opened the door, black smoke entered the apartment. “The alarm going off in our building is a regular occurrence so I didn’t pay any attention to it.” Hamelmann said. “After I finished the reading, I started to smell smoke, which is unusual.”
He described being “literally in the dark,” with the hydro out inside the building. He saw the emergency responders on the street but had “no idea if the fire was still going on.”
Christopher Bye, who lives on the eighth floor of the apartment building, said he spent all night trying to find his two cats, Petty and Perly.
“You can see my thumb is injured from working the lighter trying to find my cats,” he said, standing outside of the centre carrying his two pets after finding them Wednesday morning.
Nafisa Attaye, a mother of five, said she was in her ninth- floor apartment when she heard what she thought was an explosion.
“The building was shaking. I thought it was going to col
lapse,” she said. “When I opened the door, I saw every light in the w hallway flashing. That’s when I told kids to get out, and we took the stairs.”
They w went to a nearby friend’s home and slept there all night.
As she sat outside the building Wednesday waiting for her chil- dren to bring down some of their belongings, Attaye said she hopes they’ll be allowed to come back soon.
“I’m very upset and stressed about this, but I’m also very happy that nobody died,” she said.
Hotels or people with shared accommodation units are asked to call 1- 855- 797- 8875.
Airbnb said it has activated its Open Homes program in Toronto and some of the GTA, allowing those in need of temporary accommodation to connect with hosts in the area who are opening their homes free of charge until Sept. 2.