Ryerson reopens after fire forced it to shut down

Ryerson University reopened Tuesday after closing Monday when a fire broke out at a neighbouring building. The blaze started in the early hours of Monday morning in an abandoned building that was erected in 1888 and had operated as the Empress Hotel. No fewer than 32 firetrucks and 125 firefighters were on the scene and by around 10:40 am, flames could not be seen from the street, but the front wall had collapsed. Several downtown businesses, as well as Ryerson University, closed down for the day, however, by Tuesday morning shops began reopening and Ryerson had resumed a normal class schedule. The university’s bookstore suffered smoke damage. Fire officials are still investigating what caused the fire.