Kurt Browning's Toronto home hit by fire
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 | 6:05 PM ET
CBC News
A three-alarm blaze at former world champion figure skater Kurt Browning's house started in the garage as Browning was trying to dry a wet car seat with a leaf blower, firefighters say. .(Submitted by Larry Thorne)Fire crews say a leaf blower is to blame for a major blaze at the Toronto home of former Canadian figure-skating champion Kurt Browning and his wife, Sonia Rodriguez, the National Ballet's principal dancer.
Toronto Fire Services was notified about the three-alarm fire in the upscale Forest Hill neighbourhood at around 11 a.m. ET Wednesday, said Capt. Mike Strapko.
Eighteen fire trucks and 80 firefighters were deployed to the home on Forest Hill Road near Larratt Street. Browning and Rodriguez live in the house with their two sons, Gabriel and Dylan.
Dylan — who turned three last week — and his father were at the home at the time of the blaze, said the CBC's Stephanie Matteis, reporting from the scene. Both were seen leaving the house, and neither was hurt.
No one else was injured, Strapko confirmed.
Firefighters found out from police that the fire started in the garage of the two-storey home, which also has a three-storey addition, said Matteis. Fire crews had originally believed that the blaze originated in the home's basement.
"They said that the homeowner was trying to dry a wet car seat with a leaf blower when it caught on fire," Strapko said.
The fire then moved quickly through the house, causing enough damage to weaken the roof, which eventually caved in, according to firefighters.
Crews are protecting homes on either side of the house, but have not yet put out the flames.
Browning, a four-time Canadian and world figure skating champion, was most recently co-host of the CBC reality show Battle of the Blades. Rodriguez has danced for the National Ballet of Canada for the past 20 years.
