The South Bayview Bulldog

A person has died in an overnight fire on Birkdale Road near Midland Ave. and Ellesmere Rd.  Four were sent to hospital from the residence. One died soon after arrival.  Neighbors say the home was a halfway house, presumably used by those recently out of jail.  Of the other three injured, one is in life threatening condition and two are listed as serious. The call came before dawn for a fire in the basement. People also lived upstairs but they managed to escape. Two dogs have since died from smoke as well.

A  man was stopped as he hurtled down Highway 401 near Brockville yesterday at 160 km/h. When cops looked inside the car they found he had been watching a movie too. He had, as reported by the National Post,  a jerry-rigged in-car TV stand with an  electronic device taped to his dashboard.  He is charged with distracted driving and stunt driving. His licence and vehicle were seized for one week and he received a $280 fine.

Toronto Fire Service is reporting a fire at a home on Rosedale Heights Drive near Sighthill Ave. in Moore Park. It has six units on the scene but the alarm level has not been activated indicating any fire is under control.

The Weather Gods seem to be offering a bit of a break for tomorrow (Tuesday, December 29, 2015) as we dig out of tonight’s sleet and snow. A high of six is forecast. After that it seems fairly clear right into next week according to the Weather Channel. The roads are very treacherous tonight. PC Clint Stibbe of Traffic Services tweeted about 10 p.m. that there had been 66 property damage traffic accidents since 3.30 Monday.

CBC 

A police officer has been treated for a series of nasty bites from a raccoon Monday. It happened during a call for an animal in distress in the area of Sherbourne and Howard around 12:18 p.m.  This is just south of Bloor Street and the Rosedale Ravine, one of many happy hunting grounds for raccoons. This animal was acting strangely and police have speculated that it might  be blind.

A semi-detached home at 77 Corley Ave in East York shifted during renovations and a large crack has appeared across the side of the home diagonally from top to bottom. Parts of the building at the rear have collapsed. But the Toronto Fire Service told CBC it appears that a total collapse is not likely. Corley is north of Kingston Rd and east of Woodbine Ave.

Work has gone quickly on the construction of the large new home on Heath St. E. between Welland Ave. and Hudson Drive. This is in the short block of Heath just before it leaps the Moore Park ravine to Bennington Heights. The structure replaces the original stucco finished house (inset) which was the home for many decades of Peter and Yvonne Worthington. This one will be finished in an elegant brick which is already seen on the east side.