GTA

Heavy equipment to begin demolishing parts of school ravaged by fire

Crews brought in heavy construction equipment on Wednesday to begin tearing down parts of a historic Toronto school devastated by fire.

A six-alarm blaze tore through York Memorial Collegiate Institute Tuesday morning, the second fire that broke out on the property at Eglinton Avenue W. and Keele Street in just two days.

Excavators will begin deconstructing the brick exterior of the building in order to get to overhead beams that could fall on firefighters.

“It will basically make it safe for firefighters to go inside and actually finish putting the fire out,” said Mike McCoy, deputy chief of operations with Toronto Fire.

There are still hot spots in the east and west wings of the structure and smoldering debris in the centre block, McCoy said. Parts of the roof collapsed during the height of the blaze, which has made it more difficult for crews to reach all of the remaining hot spots, he added.

Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said Tuesday that firefighters tried to prevent the blaze from spreading into the east and west wings, an operation that appears to have been mostly successful.

Fire burned for more than 24 hours

Despite their efforts, there is substantial damage to the 90-year-old building. McCoy said it’s not yet clear if the entire structure will need to be demolished, or if parts of it can be salvaged.

An engineer managed to get into the school early Wednesday to do an initial survey of the damage. The Ontario Fire Marshal will also be on scene to begin investigating the circumstances of the blaze.

Some 900 students and staff at the school were displaced by the fire, which billowed thick black smoke into the neighbourhood.

The Toronto District School Board cancelled classes at York Memorial Collegiate Institute and the nearby George Harvey College Institute on Wednesday. Staff from both schools are assigned to Oakwood Collegiate Institute for the day, and social workers will be on hand to assist any students and staff.

Fundraiser to save school

The first cornerstone of York Memorial Collegiate Institute was laid in May 1929.

The school was built to honour Canada’s war dead, and includes several features to that end. Stained glass windows commemorating the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 and Battle of Ypres in 1915, a set of 11 steps leading to the front entrance — a representation of the 11th of November 1918, Armistice Day — and a mural by John Hall honouring those killed in the Second World War are among them.

A long-time public servant in the York area and his son are starting a fundraiser to try and save parts of the school. Alan Tonks, a former MP for York South–Weston and mayor of the now-amalgamated city of York and his son, Chris Tonks, a TDSB trustee, are launching an online campaign to raise money for a possible restoration.

The pair are expected to be announced at Oakwood Collegiate Institute on Wednesday morning.

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Fonte
CBC

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