Elderly man dies after fire in Toronto retirement home: police

An elderly man has died after a fire at a retirement home in Toronto’s north end, officials said Monday morning.

Police responded to the fire shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. A man in his 80s was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead, they said.

The fire department said the fire occurred at a retirement residence on Finch Avenue West. No other injuries were reported.

Toronto Fire Division Cmdr. Robert Hewson said the fire happened on the fourth floor of the building and was contained to the living area of a unit. The fire was under control “very quickly,” he said.

“Fortunately, there was no residents displaced, the smoke conditions were very light and Toronto Fire ventilated and got them cleaned up pretty quick,” Hewson said at a press conference Monday.

He added that residences such as retirement homes have a fire protocol that sees multiple fire trucks and first responders come to the scene right away. About 21 fire trucks and 80 firefighters responded to this fire, he said.

Hewson said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

He said the province’s fire marshal will be coming to the scene to further investigate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2025.