Students making use of the University of Toronto’s Athletic Centre (AC) were forced to evacuate the building around 2:00 pm on Thursday as fire trucks rushed to the area and smoke billowed from the roof. The Toronto Fire Department was quick to respond to the alarm, with eight trucks coming to the intersection of Spadina and Harbord.
Althea Blackburn-Evans, director of media relations for the university, said that the fire was confined to the roof, and no one was hurt. “Everybody was evacuated safely,” said Blackburn-Evans.
AC staff and university administration believe that the fire was caused by maintenance work on the roof, where sparks caused by a torch that was being used to cut metal spread to some insulation. The fire was confirmed to be extinguished and the building safe for people to reenter within half an hour of the first alarm.
The south entrance to the Athletic Centre remained closed off into the evening, though the AC has been reopened for student use. CAROLYN LEVETT/THE VARSITY
While many students appeared shaken, the reaction from inside the AC was minimal. One AC facility employee who asked not to be named said that although employees were involved in the evacuation, everyone was compliant. “It was largely calm,” the employee said, “though we were unaware of the extent of what was going on.”
Yidan Xie, Debra Lee, and Weiguang Ni, three students who were playing badminton at the AC at the time of the fire, spoke to the AC staff’s ability to get people out of the building and keep the situation under control. They were able to go back to their game, with the facilities running as usual soon after the initial panic had died down.
Blackburn-Evans said there was minimal fire damage, and that the Athletic Centre’s operations would not be affected by the fire in the coming days as the university reopens and class starts.
