The fire marshal is investigating what caused a six-alarm fire that destroyed a foam-mattress factory in northwest Toronto Thursday.
“We anticipate the fire investigation to be challenging due to the severe damage to the building the intense fuel load and the duration of the fire has destroyed much of the building,” Ontario fire Marshal spokesperson Carol Grabelle said today.
Grabelle said heavy equipment may be needed to remove the remains of the collapsed factory to determine origin and cause of the fire and if the sprinkler system was adequate.
It took more than 120 firefighters to put down the blaze inside the factory on Castlefield near Dufferin at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
Smoke from the flames was so intense it could be seen on radar. Four nearby business had to be evacuated and several schools had to put protective measures in place.
No one was injured.
Large plumes of smoke were visible as far south as the Lakeshore.
Walter Ramirez said when he got to the scene it was “pretty intense with lots of water and lot of firefighters.”
Ramirez said he lives at 401 and Weston Road which is about “five or six kms away” and took the bus to see what was making so much smoke.
Brian Minezzez works at a bicycle shop near the factory. He was rather calm about the matter having arrived at work around 11 a.m.
“It doesn’t seem that bad, I guess they contained it which is good,” Minezzez said.
By early afternoon, walls began to collapse and firefighters used the new openings to blast more water on the burning mattresses.
