Hundreds of Toronto residents displaced by a persistent and challenging fire are finally beginning to return to their homes. The City of Toronto announced that the majority of units in one of the two Thorncliffe Park highrises affected by the late-November blaze have been cleared for re-occupancy.
Green Light for Return After Engineering Review
All but 16 apartments at 11 Thorncliffe Park Rd. have been deemed safe for residents to return, according to a statement from the city’s chief building official. The decision came swiftly after the city received third-party engineering reports on Sunday, January 4th. These reports were commissioned by the building owner to assess the damage and necessary repairs.
Kamal Gogna, who also serves as the executive director of Building Toronto, stated that permission was granted to the property management company "within hours" of reviewing the documentation. "We are pleased to see residents returning to their homes," Gogna said. The 16 units that remain off-limits share a common wall with the adjacent building at 21 Overlea Blvd., which was also severely impacted by the fire.
Uncertainty Remains for Neighboring Building
While progress is being made at 11 Thorncliffe Park Rd., there is still no timeline for the return of tenants from 21 Overlea Blvd. The City of Toronto has deferred questions regarding repairs and re-occupancy for that building to the property management company, Dash Property Management. As of the latest reports, the company has not provided an update or responded to requests for comment on the situation at 21 Overlea.
The lack of information leaves many residents in limbo, continuing their extended stay in temporary hotel accommodations arranged by emergency services.
An "Unprecedented" and Stubborn Blaze
The fire that caused this extensive disruption was first reported on November 27, 2025. It proved to be an "extremely challenging" incident for Toronto Fire Services, as flames took hold of particle board located in a narrow, two-inch gap between the two highrise buildings. The inaccessible nature of the fire and dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide made the structures uninhabitable, leading to the evacuation of 408 units in total.
Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop described the situation as "unprecedented," noting that "the situation has tested every resource Toronto Fire has." Firefighters battled the stubborn blaze for weeks, finally extinguishing it in mid-December. Throughout the ordeal, Toronto Emergency Management, led by executive director Joanna Beaven-Desjardins, worked to house hundreds of displaced residents in local hotels.
The path to full recovery for the Thorncliffe Park community continues, with one building on the road to normalcy while the fate of the other remains uncertain, pending further assessment and repairs.
