Crews battle 6-alarm fire at home under construction in Lawrence Park

Firefighters continue to battle a blaze at a home under construction in the Lawrence Park area that began Thursday evening and burned through the night.

Emergency crews were called to the unoccupied house on Rochester Avenue, near Lawrence Avenue E. and Mount Pleasant Road, around 7:30 p.m. for reports of a basement fire.

Toronto Fire says that by the time crews arrived on scene the fire had progressed significantly and they were forced to pull back.

Frigid cold and icy conditions hampered efforts to fight the flames, said acting Division Commander Doug Harper.

The fire was upgraded to a six-alarm response, which is the highest possible priority for a call, just before midnight, he added.

“There’s a lot of challenges for our crews to get to this fire. The home is about 5,000 square feet and made up of lightweight construction material, so it isn’t safe to send firefighters in,” Harper said.

As of early Friday morning, Toronto Fire said that there was still smoke and flames visible at the scene.

Several TTC buses were brought in to provide shelter for firefighters battling the blaze through the night.

No injuries have been reported as a result of the fire.