Parts of sagging Toronto building demolished, remaining structure under investigation: city

Parts of a building near Toronto’s busy Kensington Market, which was at risk of collapsing on Friday, have been demolished as the city works to determine whether the remaining structure is safe.

Heavy machinery was at the site on Dundas Street near Augusta Avenue Saturday morning to tear the façade and roof off of the two-storey property piece by piece.

The top of the building’s Dundas Street-facing exterior was seen sagging over the sidewalk below on Friday, prompting an evacuation. At least 10 people were removed from the impacted buildings.

Toronto Fire Deputy Chief Jim Jessop told reporters at the time 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.

In an update on Saturday, the city said crews had completed the removal of the unsafe structure, but that further assessment of the remaining structure would be needed before the building can be deemed safe.

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 houses 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.

No injuries were reported.

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

‘I was so scared’: witness

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 was closed from Augusta to Denison avenues, but has since reopened to vehicular traffic. However, pedestrians are being diverted from the sidewalk adjacent to the building.

With files from Bryann Aguilar and Chris Fox