Fire that injured 2 at Toronto apartment building may have started on Christmas tree, crews say

Residents describe fleeing building fire overnight A man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s are in hospital with serious injuries after being rescued from a fire downtown.

Toronto fire crews say it appears an apartment fire that sent two people to hospital on Thursday morning may have started on a Christmas tree.

In an email to CP24, Toronto Fire said the blaze broke out shortly after 3 a.m. at a low-rise residential building on Barton Avenue, near Bloor Street West and Bathurst Street.

Flames were located in a unit on the second floor and two people were rescued, officials told CP24.

Paramedics confirmed that the victims, who are believed to be a man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s, are in hospital in serious but stable condition. Their injuries are related to smoke inhalation, paramedics said.

Crews on scene told CP24 that the fire is not believed to be suspicious and it may have in fact started on a Christmas tree in one of the units.

TTC buses were called in to shelter displaced residents and two animals were also removed from the building, officials said.

With files from CP24’s Courtney Heels