Toronto police are investigating an early-morning fire at a Jewish day school but said Tuesday that there were no suspicious circumstances noted at the scene and no evidence of a hate crime.
Emergency teams responded to a small fire around 3:46 a.m. on Tuesday at Leo Baeck Day School in midtown Toronto. The fire originated in an exterior storage shed that was being used by a person for shelter, the police force said in an e-mailed statement.
“The cause of the fire is undetermined, with no suspicious circumstances noted at the scene,” police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer wrote. “Divisional officers are actively investigating the incident. No injuries have been reported.”
Ms. Sayer said in the statement that the force’s hate crime unit had been consulted but there was no evidence that this incident was motivated by hate.
Flames were quickly extinguished by the first group of firefighters on the scene and no additional response personnel were called, Toronto Fire Services spokesperson Deepak Chagger said.
“It was mostly contained to the materials outside,” Mr. Chagger said, adding that a final report in the coming days would shed more light on what happened.
Eric Petersiel, the head of the school, said he is waiting for confirmation from police before making any assumptions about the circumstances surrounding the fire. But, he said, there was damage to the building – “there was smoke damage, three windows were broken.”
Toronto police have reported a sharp increase in antisemitic hate crimes, with Jewish businesses and schools in Toronto and elsewhere targeted with antisemitic graffiti. In several incidents, shots were fired at Jewish schools in Toronto and Montreal.
Conservative MP Don Stewart wrote on X that he had visited Leo Baeck and talked to the head of the school, who was satisfied with the Toronto police conclusion that the incident was not a hate crime.
“Our community breathes a sigh of relief but anxiety levels remain high,” Mr. Stewart wrote.
The independent day school where the fire broke out is more than 50 years old and teaches students between kindergarten and Grade 8, with programs running between September and June.
While regular classes are not running from July to September, the building is being used by exercise-based children’s camp Human Moves, according to its website.
A statement from Human Moves Day Camp president Mike Liebmann said that while the building is undergoing repairs, the camp is relocating to a space in Downsview Park.
“We are deeply concerned and saddened by the fire impacting the Leo Baeck Day school,” the statement from Mr. Liebmann said. “Our thoughts and support go out to the Cedarvale community, as we continue to provide support anyway that we can.”