Firefighters survey the damage at 71 Kalmar Ave. after fire at the home of a hoarder. Photo: Spencer Magee.
A two-alarm fire on Kalmar Ave. drew a massive emergency response Monday afternoon, with 16 fire vehicles, two ambulances and three police cars responding to the scene.
The home, which neighbours said is occupied by a hoarder, was fully engulfed in flames.
“I could see flames all the way up from the front window and smoke coming out of every porthole in the house, like out of the fireplace, out of the chimney. If somebody was in there, they probably would’ve died,” said a neighbour who asked not to be identified.
The first fire vehicle, Rescue 225 from the local fire hall on Danforth Ave. at Eastwood Ave., was on the scene within minutes.
“It could have taken the whole house out if they weren’t here fast enough,” the neighbour said.“ They were here within five minutes of the call. They were so quick. It was amazing how fast they were.”
Fire Chief Dave Montgomery said nobody was inside the home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.
Montgomery said their efforts to put out the fire and search for victims was delayed by the amount of material in the house.
“Upon further investigation, they found a significant amount of hoarding that was taking place in that house,” Montgomery said. “That definitely impaired our ability to get into the house and extinguish the fire. They were able to get water on the fire and knocked the fire down rather quickly.”
The house is now uninhabitable, according to Montgomery.
Montgomery said there is no definitive cause of the fire yet but they suspect it could possibly be electrical. An investigator is en route to conduct a thorough investigation and determine the official cause.
More photos below.
Firefighters at Kalmar Ave. Photo: Spencer Magee.
Large emergency vehicle presence. Photo: Spencer Magee.
The back of 71 Kalmar Ave.
The back of 71 Kalmar Ave.
