A section of the Don Valley Parkway has reopened after crews worked overnight to demolish what was left of an abandoned factory building at 2 Matilda Street, beside the highway between Queen and Dundas streets in Toronto's east end.
The northbound lanes were closed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for the demolition, along with the Don Roadway, Eastern Avenue and Queen Street ramps, but reopened before 6 a.m. Friday. Little remained of the building after the teardown.
The fire broke out at about 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14, and grew to three alarms. Its cause, origin and circumstances remain unknown, but police confirmed to CP24 that it has been deemed suspicious. Paramedics said one police officer was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Toronto Fire Services Chief Jim Jessop said the building, which once housed a live event space and a coffee company, had been vacant for years. Demolishing it, he said, lets crews conduct primary and secondary searches and continue fire suppression to reach the point of loss stop.
