Baby dead, man in custody following house fire in Scarborough

Toronto police say an eight-month-old baby rescued from a house fire in Scarborough has died in hospital.

An infant has died, and a man found with self-inflicted injuries is in custody following a house fire in Scarborough Saturday morning.

Fire crews were called to the home on Bushmill Square, in the area of Brimley Road and Finch Avenue East, at around 11:15 a.m.

Crews arrived and rescued four people from the home: an eight-month-old baby, a four-year-old, a woman in her 70s and a 38-year-old man, who police said had self-inflicted wounds.

All four were rushed to the hospital with both the baby and the man in life-threatening condition. The four-year-old and the woman are recovering from minor injuries,

“Unfortunately, I’m sad to tell you this, but the eight-month-old has been pronounced even with the heroic efforts of Toronto Paramedic Services, Fire Services and the doctors and nurses at the hospital,” Insp. Saleem Husain said during a news conference Saturday afternoon.

“We understand that this is a very tragic event and will affect the community and the family involved. We’re providing resources to ensure that we can provide them support that they’re going to need in the coming future.”

When asked if the man and the children are related, Husain only said the four are family members.

The inspector says the man is in police custody. He added that it is too early in the investigation to determine charges.

The cause, origin and circumstances of the fire are not immediately known, and Husain said Toronto Fire investigators and the Ontario Fire Marshal will investigate.