Demolition of sagging Toronto building continues

Crews continue to take apart a building near Toronto’s busy Kensington Market that was at risk of collapsing on Friday.

Heavy machinery remained at the site of the two-storey building on Dundas Street near Augusta Avenue Saturday morning as parts of the structure were demolished piece by piece.

On Friday, the building’s façade was seen sagging over the sidewalk below, prompting an evacuation. At least 10 people were removed from the impacted buildings.

Toronto Fire Deputy Chief Jim Jessop told reporters on Friday that a full investigation would be conducted once the affected sections of the building were brought down to determine what might have caused the structural issues.

“Our goal is to have it brought down in a controlled manner,” he said at the time, adding that the roof structure was also compromised.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 10 a.m. Friday after construction workers in the area observed the sagging façade. Jessop said that upon arrival, crews immediately established a “collapse zone” around the building, which has a convenience store on its main floor and apartments on its second floor.

He said crews worked quickly to get the building’s gas and hydro shut off in case the structure collapsed prior to a controlled demolition.

A leaning building on Dundas Street West is seen on Aug. 16. (CP24/Simon Sheehan)

No injuries were reported.

Suya Lee told CTV News Toronto that she was purchasing a lotto ticket inside the convenience store when the façade of the building started to move, and she heard the sounds of bricks cracking.

The woman said that her husband, who was waiting outside with their dog at the time, also noticed and screamed for her to get to safety.

“I was in shock. I was so scared,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, the house could have fallen on top of me.’”

Max Hung, who lives in the building, was in a virtual work meeting when firefighters pounded on his door.

“I heard the creaking and the cracking as it happened. I was like, ‘Oh, whatever, this happens all the time,’” he told CTV News Toronto. “The firemen came up and they’re pounding on everyone’s doors just like seriously yelling at everyone to get out of there.”

Dundas Street remains closed from Augusta to Denison Avenues, and Jessop said that the road will likely be off limits “for the foreseeable future.”

With files from Bryann Aguilar and Chris Fox