Local residents and three nearby schools were evacuated Tuesday morning as Toronto fire crews battle a stubborn six-alarm blaze at York Memorial C.I., the second fire in two days at the historic building that was about to celebrate its 90th anniversary.Fire crews were first called to York Memorial on Eglinton Ave. W., near Trethewey Dr., at around 2 p.m. Monday. They contained the three-alarm fire by 4 p.m., but a second blaze was spotted by a thermal imaging camera Tuesday overnight.The blaze was upgraded to a six-alarm fire at around 10 a.m., requiring anywhere from 25 to 29 emergency vehicles.As of midday Tuesday, more than 100 firefighters and at least 10 fire trucks could be seen at the school still working to attack the raging fire from the parking lot on the northern side of the building. Heavy smoke and flames could be seen coming out of the building. Traffic was blocked on several streets around the school to facilitate movement of fire crews and police. The streets closest to the school were filled with trucks connected to fire hydrants.Toronto police Supt. Ron Taverner told reporters that investigators were concerned that the first fire “may be suspicious.”“This is an extremely large building, there’s a considerable volume of smoke and flame inside the building,” fire chief Matthew Pegg told reporters. “We’re dealing with some initial structural collapse the command team has observed. We’re having to be very wary of falling debris and collapse.“We’re in for a long day here.”To the southeast of the school, at the intersection of Tretheway and Eglinton, dozens of locals watched the fire, some wearing masks to cover their nose and faces. From the south side of the fire, it was impossible to see the school itself through a plume of heavy black smoke. The acrid cloud could be seen — and smelled — hanging low over the neighbourhood south of Eglinton, blanketing it in the odour of ...
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