Two people are fighting for their lives in hospital following a house fire in Scarborough’s Malvern neighbourhood early Tuesday morning.
Crews were called to a two-storey, detached home on Snowball Crescent, near Markham Road and Sheppard Avenue East, shortly before 5:30 a.m.
Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop told reporters that firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames on the second floor of the home.
“This was a significant fire,” Jessop said at the scene on Tuesday. “Our crews arrived very quickly and it quickly escalated.”
He said firefighters fought their way through flames to get to two victims on the second floor.
“You can see the conditions my staff were met with but we had reports of people inside and they heroically fought their way through, got up to the second floor, found them quickly (and) rescued them,” Jessop said.
The two were transported to hospital via emergency run and remain in hospital in life-threatening condition.
Officials have not provided any information about the ages of the victims.
“I want to extend my deepest thoughts and prayers to those that are fighting for their lives at this time,” Jessop said.
He said fire investigators, along with Toronto police, will look into the cause, origin, and circumstances surrounding the fire.
The Office of the Fire Marshal has also been notified given the severity of the injuries.