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One man is dead following a fire in Richmond Hill early Wednesday.
The blaze damaged two homes on Crosby Ave., between Newkirk Rd. and Bayview Ave., along with multiple vehicles near the property.
The two homes were engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on the scene just after 3 a.m., along with three vehicles parked in the residences’ shared driveway.
A 69-year-old man pulled from the flames was without vital signs at the scene, police confirmed to CP24 .
The man died in hospital.
‘Chaotic scene’
“People were panicking, running out of the home, people screaming, still trapped,” Richmond Hill Fire Chief Tom Raeburn told reporters on Wednesday.
He said the firefighters who responded described it as the most “chaotic scene they’ve ever been to.”
The vehicles on fire were blocking some of the entrances to the homes, making it difficult for crews to get inside, Raeburn said, adding that one man was rescued from a basement window.
Staff Sgt. Peter Cheung said in the news conference that the fire originated in a vehicle parked in the driveway of one of the homes and spread to the two residences.
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Investigation ‘active and ongoing’
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
York Regional Police told the Toronto Sun the investigation into the fire “remains active and ongoing.”
The Office of the Fire Marshal will investigate the cause, origin, and circumstances surrounding the fatal fire.
Stay tuned for updates…