Electrical system failure led to 650 Parliament fire
Fire chief cites explosion as root cause of blaze that displaced 1,500 residents
A “catastrophic failure” of the electrical system at 650 Parliament St. caused an explosion in the electrical room that led to the fire that displaced around 1,500 people last year, according to Toronto Fire Services.
In a Monday news release, Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg confirmed the Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal had passed along a report, which has not been made available to the public, detailing the cause of the devastating fire.
“(The report) determined that a catastrophic failure of the electrical system in the building caused an explosion in the electrical room, and smaller explosions and fires throughout the building,” Pegg said in the release.
The six-alarm fire, which took place Aug. 21, 2018, at a residential highrise on Parliament St. between Bloor and Wellesley Sts., burned for more than eight hours and required 100 firefighters and 26 fire trucks to extinguish.
The building’s residents, who have now been displaced for more than a year, are still unable to return to their homes due to ongoing repairs.
Those repairs have been delayed in part due to an additional fire that took place in the building in July after combustible materials atop a stovetop burner left in the “on” position ignited during a test of the electrical system.
Meanwhile, displaced residents of the building have also initiated a class-action lawsuit that seeks $40 million in general, special and punitive damages, according to the notice of action.
Pegg said Toronto Fire would not be making any further comments on the report until their team has had a chance to review it in detail and gained a full understanding of its findings.