Firefighters gain control of Yonge St fire

A heritage building on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto has been gutted by an early-morning six alarm fire.

Four firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the blaze that broke out around 4 this morning. The century-old Empire Hotel building had been empty since last April when part of its brick facade collapsed onto a sidewalk, and the owner was reportedly seeking permission to demolish it.

The building is just south of the former Sam the Record Man location at Yonge & Gould.

Firefighters finally gained control of the flames around 8 a.m. Yonge Street has been closed to traffic between Dundas & Gerrard until at least this afternoon, and staff at nearby Ryerson University have been told to stay home for the day.