Residents Return Home After Thorncliffe Park Fire Displacement
After more than five weeks of being displaced due to a complex five-alarm fire, residents are finally moving back into their apartments at 11 Thorncliffe Park Drive.
The fire, which broke out on Nov. 27, forced over 400 residents of 11 Thorncliffe Park Drive and 21 Overlea Boulevard to evacuate their homes due to high carbon monoxide levels detected in the buildings. It took until Dec. 15 for the fire to be extinguished, as the gap between the buildings was filled with compressed wood material that burned slowly.
Fire Chief Jim Jessop described the fire as unprecedented and extremely challenging, given the difficulty in accessing the space between the walls where the fire originated.
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, residents have begun a phased return to their units following approval from building management. According to CityNews, all units, except for 16 along the shared wall, have been deemed safe for reoccupation.
However, residents of 21 Overlea Boulevard are still displaced with no official return date yet. Despite the challenges, many Thorncliffe Park residents are relieved to be back home, after spending the holidays in local hotels.
One resident expressed gratitude for the building management’s efforts during the displacement, highlighting the well-maintained nature of the building.
Renovation crews are still on-site, with hopes that residents of 21 Overlea Boulevard will also be able to return home soon.
Keyphrase: Thorncliffe Park fire residents