Toronto fire crews take down massive blaze at Queen and Sumach

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A four-alarm fire filled portions of the sky over downtown Toronto with smoke this morning as emergency responders attempted to put out the dangerous, raging blaze at Queen and Sumach Streets.

Toronto Police say that a fire was first reported around 9:15 a.m. at a "building under construction."

Scary fire at Queen and Sumach in Toronto today - 📹 Steven Mann #Toronto #Fire #TorontoFire pic.twitter.com/9nNJPFqo6f
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 2, 2020

Queen Street East was immediately closed off to traffic, pedestrians and public transit vehicles, which continue to detour via Broadview Avenue, Dundas Street East and Parliament Street.

The fire was declared "under control" around 10:30 a.m., but crews remain on-scene as they investigate the cause of the blaze.

View from my balcony.
Thank you, @TPFFA pic.twitter.com/zVTPj09vs8
— Patrick Lemieux (@MadTheDJ) June 2, 2020

People from all over the city could see smoke rising up from the fire on Tuesday morning, and shared footage of black plumes above Toronto's Corktown neighbourhood via Twitter and Instagram.

Heavy smoke from a fire at Queen and Sumach can be spotted all over downtown Toronto - 📹 Steven Mann #Toronto #Fire #TorontoFire pic.twitter.com/3OKpK4D2wL
— blogTO (@blogTO) June 2, 2020

Flames could be seen shooting forth from the roof of the two-storey townhouse complex at some points.

@blogTO pic.twitter.com/XA7wDX68qN
— Carles G Estany (@EstanyCarles) June 2, 2020

Some locals got quite close to the scene, capturing photos of Toronto fire crews hard at work.

#toronto fire at Queen and Sumach. pic.twitter.com/ikptm419Kr
— dsooza (@ds00za) June 2, 2020

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg confirmed its location as 473 Queen Street East.

This is notable for several reasons. The first being that a massive fire broke out on the same southwest corner of Queen and Sumach in 2018, damaging several buildings.

View of the big fire at Queen and Sumach earlier. Same corner that went up last year. pic.twitter.com/TvNmer5B7C
— Rick Mele (@rickmele) June 2, 2020

The second reason is the advanced age of the main building involved in this morning's fire — 143 years old.

While not officially a designated heritage site, the townhouse complex at 473 Queen Street East was built in 1877. A plaque on the building identifies it as "Davies Terrace."