A 10-year-old boy was killed and as many as 300 people had to flee their homes early Sunday after a major fire tore through a townhouse complex in Brampton, Ont.
The blaze on Ardglen Drive left 18 units severely damaged or destroyed, according to Peel Regional Police. They say between 80 and 100 people have been left homeless.
Police say the boy's body was found inside a second-floor bedroom.
"He was having a sleepover visit," Peel Regional Police Const. Lily Fitzpatrick said. "He lived nearby, but not in that unit."
The first report of the fire came in at 3:19 a.m. ET, as an alarm activation, according to Michael Clarke, deputy fire chief of Brampton Fire and Emergency Services. The situation was upgraded after the fire department received phone calls confirming the fire.
"The crew attempted to make an aggressive rapid attack but they weren't able to make entry," Clarke said.
At one point there were 19 trucks and about 50 firefighters on the scene, Clarke added.
Officials say the fire started at a unit in the centre of a block of units but, because of the structure of the complex, the fire spread rapidly in both directions.
"So all the people in those units had to be evacuated," Fitzpatrick said. "It's a fairly highly populated, condensed townhouse complex and they're very close together."
Fitzpatrick told CBC News that the fire was still active by Sunday morning and investigators haven't been able to get in to determine its cause.
"We have no idea what the cause of this fire is at this point."
Fitzpatrick said the fire has had a profound effect due to the sheer number of people involved.
"Their homes are gone and they were forced to evacuate those homes without taking anything with them," she said. "So [for] the people that are involved and for their families, this has been a devastating, devastating fire."
She added that, from what she has seen, no one was carrying any belongings when leaving the fire scene. The displaced residents only have their pets and the clothes they have on.
A displaced resident sits near the townhouse complex. The huge fire has destroyed or damanged 18 units and left between 80 to 100 people homeless, according to Peel Regional Police. (Michael Cole/CBC)
City buses are acting as temporary shelters for residents of the complex, which is near Kennedy Road and Queen Street. Some residents have also moved to a coffee shop on Kennedy Road, Fitzpatrick said.
Throughout the incident, residents have been providing support for each other, Fitzpatrick said. Some knocked door to door to get their neighbours out.
"They have that common bond that … they know exactly where they stand at this point and it's bringing them together," she said.
The investigation is still at its early stage and it may be a while before residents find out the extent of the damage, Fitzpatrick said. There will be a cool-down period once the fire is out. Investigators will then assess the structural damage before considering allowing residents to return to their homes.
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