One person has died following a fire at a downtown Toronto seniors' residence, Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop confirmed Monday morning. Crews responded to the blaze on the eighth floor of 423 Yonge Street, near Carlton Street, just before 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Firefighters forced their way into a unit that was filled with heavy smoke and heat, where they found the victim with no vital signs. The person was pulled from the unit, given CPR, and transported to Toronto paramedics, but did not survive. Jessop confirmed the victim was a senior but did not release their identity.
"Unfortunately, the intensity of the smoke and the fire was too much and the individual has passed," Jessop told reporters. "I want to offer our deepest condolences to all those impacted."
The fire was extinguished and a second person was assessed at the scene and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Toronto paramedics told CBC News.
Toronto Fire Service and Toronto police are investigating the cause of the fire. Jessop said there is no early indication of how the fire originated. The Office of the Fire Marshal was notified following the death.
