Firefighters battled a three-alarm fire at the commercial building housing the Zanzibar Tavern adult entertainment club on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto.
Toronto Fire Services responded to reports of thick smoke near Yonge and Elm streets shortly after 6 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find a fire on the roof of the building at 359 Yonge Street.
The roof was declared unsafe because of damage caused by the fire, preventing firefighters from safely operating on the roof or inside parts of the building.
Crews initially accessed the roof and used multiple hose lines to fight the blaze while searching the building. The roof later reportedly collapsed, and the landmark building was extensively damaged.
No occupants were found and no injuries were reported.
By late morning, most of the fire had been extinguished, although smoke remained in the area.
Parts of Yonge Street remained closed as firefighters continued operations. Yonge was closed between Dundas Street East and Gerrard Street East, while westbound Gerrard Street East was closed at Church Street. Drivers were advised to use alternative routes.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Toronto Fire Services said crews had arrived to find heavy black smoke and areas of the structure already compromised.
Zanzibar’s History
The Zanzibar first opened as a restaurant in 1949. Its late owner, David Cooper, purchased the business with a family member in the 1960s and gradually transformed it from a live music venue into a strip club.
Cooper died in 2019 at the age of 84, and the establishment remains owned and operated by the Cooper family.