A fire at a notorious Yonge Street motel over the weekend caused damage to several units.
East Gwillimbury Fire and Emergency Services Chief Cory Mainprize says crews responded to the Comfort Motel just before 3 a.m. on Sunday, March 23.
Upon arrival, firefighters noticed a “significantly involved” unit on the second floor. However, most building occupants had evacuated by the time crews arrived and there were no injuries reported.
“It’s a bit of a challenging building … it’s well-known to us,” Mainprize said. “We assisted a few people who were still in their rooms.”
The motel has been used, at least in part, as a permanent residence by some occupants. However, the ownership on the property recently changed and it was under renovation, with several rooms “stripped back to the studs,” King Fire and Emergency Services deputy chief Darin Chapman said.
He said “four or five” people living on site were displaced.
“There was no one in that (initial) unit,” he said. “Nothing can confirm there was any accelerant in the fire.”
Chapman says it appears the fire actually started outside the building. And an investigation revealed cigarette butts at the suspected site of origin.
“The origin was outside of the unit, on the south side of the unit — a staircase where you could access the second floor of the building,” he said. “It travelled up the staircase and got into the roof joists. It definitely worked its way from exterior to interior. There was lots of debris around.”
While damage was caused to “four or five units,” it is also unclear whether those other rooms were occupied at the time of the fire, Mainprize said.
He also noted the motel technically has a King Township address, but due to a service agreement, East Gwillimbury (EG) provided the initial response, then called for assistance from “partner” departments in King and Bradford West Gwillimbury.
And once the scene stabilized, it was handed over to King for deeper investigation.
“It kind of lands right on the borders of Bradford, EG and King Township,” Mainprize said. “At one point, all three of those services were in attendance. The cause is under investigation. It’s early.”
Mainprize said it is fortunate no one was hurt.
“Especially at that time of night,” he said. “There’s often people who are asleep.”
Chapman agreed.
“Smoke alarms save lives,” he said, noting it’s undetermined whether there were working detectors on the property. “Be mindful about (disposing) of cigarette material. Use a proper ashtray. It could have been a lot worse. (EG) had a timely response. All three of our fire services did an exceptional job working together.”
The investigation also included input from York Regional Police and the Office of the Fire Marshal of Ontario, Chapman said.
Damage is estimated at between $50,000 and $100,000.
