Residents in Thorncliffe Park begin returning home weeks after complex condo fire
CBC
Residents of one of two condo buildings affected by a complex fire in Thorncliffe Park have started to return to their units, weeks after they were forced out of their homes.
The fire broke out on Nov. 27 in the two connected buildings at 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr. and 21 Overlea Blvd. More than 400 units in the two buildings were evacuated.
Jacqui Julien, a resident of 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr., said she and her husband were beyond excited to go back home. She spent the entire month of December at the Don Valley Hotel.
"I was elated. I was so excited to go back. It was so amazing to hear that news. It was fantastic," she said, adding her unit was untouched.
"I mean, we went through a lot. We had a tough time there. But everyone was safe, everyone was out of the cold."
On Dec. 15, Toronto Fire Services said the fire was extinguished, but engineers working with property management companies had to assess damage before residents could return.
In an email to residents of 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr. on Sunday, Del Property Management Inc., the company that maintains the building, said it received clearance from the city that allows the building to be partially reoccupied.
Julien said she received the email on Sunday night that she could return. She was told residents of 50 units were allowed to return in all.
"Oh my God, it's time for us to go back," Julien recalled saying when she read the email.
When she got back into her unit, she realized she had to dust. But she said, thankfully, her unit doesn't smell of smoke.
When she went into her bedroom, she said: "Oh bed, I missed you. I missed you, baby."
Residents said the adjoining building at 21 Overlea Blvd. has not begun re-entry yet.
Toronto fire officials said the fire burned combustible particle board placed in an expansion joint between the two buildings and crews had to go through the walls of some units to access the source and ensure the fire was out, causing extra damage.
Yiannis Fotopoulos, a displaced resident, said he and his wife are still staying at the hotel.
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