Firefighters battled a massive fire burning on the roof of a highrise building at 260 Queen's Quay West, one that sent smoke billowing across the downtown Toronto skyline for a time.
Two people suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation.
The fire was first reported shortly after 5 p.m. Its location is due south of the Rogers Centre, where the Toronto Blue Jays were to play that night.
Images from CTV News' helicopter initially showed about half the roof engaged, with thick black smoke and orange flames surging about six metres into the air.
The burning material appeared to be some type of Astroturf-like ground covering.
CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss said the blaze captured the attention of thousands of people in the downtown core.
There were reports the smoke could be seen at Highway 407 and from St. Catharines, far to the south across Lake Ontario.
About 12 fire trucks and 50 firefighters initially responded to the blaze at the 30-storey building. They were able to tap into standpipes in the structure's top floor and run hoses out to the fire.
Capt. Mike Strapko told CTV News that at one point, the fire was escalated to a third-alarm fire.
By 5:37 p.m., Strapko said firefighters were looking for hotspots and hidden pockets of fire.
There are no reports of injuries to either firefighters or civilians. The fire didn't enter any of the units below, although firefighters were worried some burning material might have fallen down the garbage chutes.
The cause is unknown at this point.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss
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