Canada

Man dead, six injured after fire spreads from vehicle to two Richmond Hill homes

The blaze, which started in a driveway vehicle, engulfed three cars and two homes in a chaotic early morning scene.

By Elise Tremblay, Editor-in-Chief
October 21, 2026

RICHMOND HILL · A 69-year-old man is dead and six people were injured after a fire that began in a vehicle spread to two homes in Richmond Hill early Wednesday. York Regional Police said emergency crews responded to the blaze on Crosby Avenue, between Newkirk Road and Bayview Avenue, around 3:05 a.m. Staff Sgt. Peter Cheung said the man was located without vital signs in one of the homes and was pronounced dead at 6 a.m. The fire damaged two semi-detached homes and three vehicles, and the Office of the Fire Marshal is investigating the cause.

Richmond Hill Fire Chief Tom Raeburn described a "chaotic" scene where about 34 firefighters and eight fire apparatus responded. "I have to stress [fire crews] got here to a very chaotic scene. People were panicking, running out of the home, people screaming, still trapped," Raeburn said. He said crews rescued one person from a basement window, and that person is now in stable condition. Several other residents were able to escape on their own.

The fire presented significant challenges for firefighters. Raeburn said some entrances to the homes were blocked by the burning vehicles. "So you're just walking through a wall of flame to try and get to the the doors to get people out," he said. Crews were still putting out hot spots on one of the homes when a man was pulled from a basement window. The three vehicles that were fully engulfed do not appear to be electric, Raeburn added.

Police said the fire appears to have started in a vehicle parked in the driveway of one of the houses before spreading to the homes. Jim Demetriou, a spokesperson for the Office of the Fire Marshal, said suppressing the fire was "chaotic" and that it is not yet clear how the blaze began. He said investigators are waiting for clearance to safely enter the wreckage and do not yet know if lithium-ion batteries were involved. Demetriou added that the families living in the burned homes will be displaced for the foreseeable future. "I don't see them coming back anytime soon, until our investigation is complete," he said.

One of the displaced residents, Luiji Torres, 28, said he was awakened by the frantic barking of his small white dog, Pom Pom. "I couldn't see anything," he said through tears. "I couldn't even breathe." Torres said his parents are among those injured and that Pom Pom, who alerted the family when their smoke alarms failed to sound, is still missing. "Give me a firefighter suit," he said. "I'll go in myself. I don't care about things. I care about my dog."

York Const. Caroline de Kloet said officers cannot yet confirm whether the fire is considered suspicious, and the investigation is still in its early stages. Those injured in the blaze are expected to be out of hospital soon, she added. Police urged residents to avoid the area due to road closures at Crosby Avenue between Newkirk Road and Bayview Avenue. Richmond Hill Mayor David West said in a statement that "this is a heartbreaking morning for our community." He added, "The hearts of the community of Richmond Hill are with the family and everyone affected by this tragedy."

With files from Global News, CBC News and Toronto Star