

Chris Fox, CP24.com





An evacuation order for a Junction neighbourhood has been lifted after firefighters successfully fought back a stubborn five-alarm blaze at a warehouse that had been burning for most of the day.

Firefighters were first called to Topper Linen Supply Limited on Mulock Avenue near Keele and Dundas streets at around 5:10 a.m. after a police officer that was on patrol observed smoke billowing from the roof.

Firefighters were quickly able to get the blaze under control on the main floor of the building but the fire continued to burn in the basement until around 2 p.m. Complicating matters, crews were unable to enter the basement after the fire tore through the stairs to the lower level.

“The challenge we have right now is absolutely being able to get water onto the fire,” Fire Chief Matthew Pegg told CP24 earlier in the day. “Because we can’t put people into the building and because of the design and layout of the building it is very difficult for us to actually get water directed at the fire, so you are seeing the fire die down and then escalate again. That is going to happen for some time before we can get the fire under control.”

Fire officials made the decision to ask for the evacuation of nearby homes on Mulock Avenue and Keele Street amid concerns about some chemicals that were believed to have been stored inside the burning building.

Pegg said that the evacuation was “strictly precautionary,” as firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to where the chemicals are stored.

TTC buses were brought in to provide shelter to displaced residents.

“We will just focus on (evacuating) Mulock Avenue at this point and then we will reevaluate. It depends on what happens with the weather, what the wind direction is and of course what the fire conditions are,” Pegg said earlier.

Pegg said that there are no plans to send firefighters into the building at this point due to safety concerns.

He said that it is unlikely that anyone was inside the building when the fire broke out, though that can't be confirmed until a search is completed.

The fire was initially classified as a three-alarm call; however it was upgraded to five-alarm at around 10:45 a.m.

Keele Street is closed from Vine Avenue to Lloyd Avenue and Junction Road is closed from Keele Street to Old Weston Road.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.