N環球 
Toronto three-alarm fire at abandoned Riverside jam factory deemed suspicious; northbound DVP fully closed tonight for demolition
A three-alarm fire tore through the vacant former jam factory at 2 Matilda St. on Oct 14; police deem it suspicious. The City says the northbound DVP will fully close from 7:30 p.m. Oct 15 to 6 a.m. Oct 16 for the safe demolition of the building, about 30 feet from the highway.
Why it matters
A long-vacant industrial building at 2 Matilda St. in Toronto's Riverside neighbourhood — a former jam factory dating to 1868 — caught fire on the night of Oct 14, triggering a three-alarm response that temporarily shut sections of the northbound Don Valley Parkway (DVP) and parts of Queen and Dundas streets. Police have deemed the fire suspicious. On Oct 15 the City announced that Fire Chief Jim Jessop has authorized the building's demolition on public-safety grounds: it sits about 30 feet from the DVP, so the northbound DVP will fully close for under 12 hours from 7:30 p.m. Oct 15, reopening at 6 a.m. Friday.
Full report
Fire crews received multiple calls shortly after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Chief Jim Jessop said flames had broken through the roof when firefighters arrived; more than 30 trucks responded, and crews faced multiple wall and ceiling collapses before knocking the fire down, with hotspot work continuing afterward. One police officer was lightly injured and taken to hospital.
During firefighting, the northbound DVP and sections of Queen and Dundas streets were closed for apparatus staging; on Thursday one northbound lane and the Queen Street on-ramp remained closed. For the demolition, the closure runs on the northbound DVP from the eastbound Gardiner at Jarvis Street to Dundas Street, where northbound traffic resumes; the Don Roadway, Eastern Avenue and Queen Street ramps stay closed.
Toronto Fire Services and City staff held a media briefing at 2 p.m. Thursday, with Chief Jessop and Transportation Services General Manager Ashley Curtis providing an operational update.
The cause remains under investigation. Police confirmed to CP24 on Thursday that the fire has been deemed suspicious. The building, vacant for years, once housed the Merchants of Green Coffee café/jam factory and a live music venue.
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