The fire that killed an 84-year-old woman in Toronto on Saturday night is being treated as a homicide after Toronto police determined the blaze was deliberately set.
The two-alarm blaze broke out at home on Boswell Avenue in the Avenue Road and Davenport Road area around 11 p.m. Saturday.
Fire crews say they were met with heavy smoke and flames upon arrival.
A woman was found on the second floor of the home with no vital signs and taken to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. Her cause of death was determined to be from the fire.
The woman has been identified as Giovanna Balestrieri, 84, of Toronto. She lived in the home by herself and no one else was there at the time of the fire.
Police say they have obtained video footage which shows a lone suspect approaching the house before an explosion. The suspect is then seen fleeing the scene.
Det. Sgt. Trevor Grieve said they will not be releasing a suspect description or image due to the poor quality of the images. He added they could only make out that the suspect was wearing dark clothing.
“This was a tragic and senseless act. In fact, cowardly and deplorable comes to mind … We are going to do everything we can to find the individual responsible for that,” added Det. Sgt. Grieve.
The fire is still under investigation by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office.
Rabbi Meir Dubrawsky with the Yorkville Jewish Centre, which is on the same street as the victim’s home, said he often saw Balestrieri while walking in the area, adding she was bubbly and full-of-life.
“It’s really hard to hear, really upsetting,” said Rabbi Dubrawsky. He commented that Boswell is a very quiet street and hoped it would remain the safe block it has always been been.
“Your home is somewhere you want to feel protected safe and comfortable … I absolutely love to call this place our home and this street our home and I don’t want anything to ever change said.”
The Yorkville Jewish Centre provided police with the security footage where the suspect was spotted.
