After hundreds of visits so far this year, fire crews will no longer be a daily presence at this Toronto address.
A short time ago, the Toronto Fire Services department came to the conclusion that the property at 1136 Bloor St. W. was a fire hazard.
It appears they made the decision based on video that showed smoke coming from the property when they last visited.
“I’m not sure who was more shocked when I told them about the video, that they would go and tell me this,” said Toronto Fire Services spokesperson Rick Ducharme.
But the response did lead to an investigation, and by late January, the Toronto Police Service, Toronto Fire Services, and a private company were called upon to investigate.
“They found there was no fire. There was no fire hazard. There was no reason in the world the [firefighting] services were required ever to go back there again,” Ducharme said.
Ducharme says now the property has been taken over by the City of Toronto, where they will no longer need the assistance of fire trucks to control any fires that may arise.
So why did the fire services department come to the conclusion that this building was a fire hazard?
“We had concerns about fire and we’re going to do what we can to manage what we can and to make sure that we have our equipment in place where we need it and when we need it,” Ducharme said.
“But ultimately, the most important piece is to make sure that we do everything we can to keep our buildings safe from fire.”
The property where the fire services officers found smoke coming from their trucks last July. (Photo: Daniel Leal)
The City of Toronto says it will be sending a letter to the owners this week and they are working to get the building back up and running.
But so far this year, more than 200 visits by fire truck have been paid and the property is no longer a fire hazard.
“We can sit and say it and say it but if you�