A man and woman were rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries after they were rescued from a fire in a rooming house in Toronto's west end Tuesday morning, paramedics say.

Firefighters used a ladder to rescue the woman and they carried the man down a staircase when they arrived at the burning home on Gladstone Avenue, just north of Dundas Street West, at about 7:50 a.m.

Officials are hailing a neighbourhood resident who fetched his own ladder and helped two people to escape after he heard cries for help.

Toronto Fire Services spokesman Capt. Mike Strapko said the man and woman, who were trapped on the third floor, were having difficulty breathing as the fire spread and the house filled with smoke.

CPR was performed on the woman after she stopped breathing at the scene, a fire official told CP24 reporter Cam Woolley.

Several people were inside the house when the fire broke out, including some occupants who have disabilities, said Toronto police spokeswoman Const. Wendy Drummond.

Up to 10 people who live in the semi-detached home have been displaced by the fire.

Fire began in kitchen

The Office of the Fire Marshal is investigating the cause, but it is believed the blaze started while a resident was cooking in the main-floor kitchen and left a pot or pan unattended.

When firefighters arrived, the kitchen was engulfed and the flames spread quickly to a back staircase and the second floor, said division commander Andrew Kostiuk.

The fire was so hot that it burned holes in the floorboards.

Kostiuk said there was no sign of functioning smoke detectors inside the rooming house.

“Smoke detectors would have helped to wake the people up and get them out faster,” he said.

People should have working smoke alarms on every level of their home and outside sleeping areas, and they should test them regularly, fire officials say.

People should also plan and practice a fire escape route with their families and/or roommates.

Fire Prevention Week underway

Including Tuesday's blaze, Toronto firefighters have responded to at least two major fires since Fire Prevention Week began Sunday.

On Monday, a body was discovered after a fire was extinguished inside an abandoned building at 1002 Bathurst St., near Dupont Street.

The theme of this year's prevention and safety week is "prevent kitchen fires."

Careless cooking is the leading cause of residential fires, with Toronto averaging about one cooking-related fire per week.

Toronto Fire Services offered the following advice to prevent kitchen fires:

Never leave cooking unattended on the stove. If you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the stove.

Keep children away from the stove, and make sure pot handles are turned away from the front of the stove and that electrical cords aren’t dangling off the counter.

Keep all combustibles such as dish towels and paper towels away from the stove.

Never wear clothing that has long, loose-fitting sleeves that can catch fire.

Keep a tight-fitting pot lid near the stove. If a pot catches fire, carefully slide the lid over the pot and turn off the stove. Do not move the pot until it has cooled completely.

Oil and grease do not mix with water. Never put water on a grease fire. Never try to move a burning pot to the sink and remember to smother the fire with a pot lid.

Be cautious when consuming alcohol and cooking.

Stop, drop and roll to smother flames if your clothes catch fire. Treat a burn by running cool water over the injured area and get medical attention for a severe burn.

With files from CP24 reporter Cam Woolley