A five-alarm fire is raging near Jane Street and Steeles Avenue West in North York, Toronto police say.The building, located at Shoreham Drive and Gosford Boulevard, has “fire and smoke” ripping through its windows, with the flames shooting up several floors, police say.Fire services fielded the call shortly after 5:30 p.m., and have been attempting to tame the blaze for the last few hours. There are 22 firetrucks on scene and roughly 100 firefighters working to put out the fire. Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg told reporters outside the building that the fire “escalated very quickly” and that the fire crews have “encountered very significant fires on multiple floors and corresponding heavy smoke,” preventing them from getting all the residents out. Six residents have been rescued and removed by firefighters so far, with one transported to hospital in “stable condition,” Pegg says. There are no indications that anyone is trapped, however some residents are being “sheltered” by firefighters inside the building, Pegg told reporters. Police initially received reports that children were trapped on the balcony of the building, but Const. David Hopkinson could not confirm the reports. Hopkinson said it’s possible the kids were rescued by firefighters. Roads in the area are closed and the TTC has sent roughly half a dozen shelter buses for the evacuees. Ted Fraser is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter at @ted_fraser.
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