Police investigating ‘suspicious’ fire at abandoned Toronto building

Toronto police are treating a three-alarm overnight blaze at an abandoned building as suspicious after crews spent Wednesday night battling heavy smoke and flames that resulted in the temporary shut down of the nearby Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway.

Fire crews said they responded to reports of a commercial building on fire at Matilda and Munro streets at around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Crews arrived and found a “fully involved” fire that was quickly upgraded to a three-alarm blaze, said Toronto fire Capt. Bill Papakonstantinou.

A male in his 30s was taken to the hospital around 9:45 p.m. with non-life-threatening injuries in connection to the fire, Toronto paramedics said.

Roads, including the highways, reopened around 3 a.m. Thursday, the city said on social media. By 7 a.m., the fire was completely extinguished but the “structural integrity” of the building is a concern, said Papakonstantinou.

Toronto building inspectors are on scene for a structural assessment, he said. As of Thursday afternoon, Toronto fire has remained on scene.

Toronto police told Global News the fire is being treated as suspicious.