Mayor John Tory revealed Friday that smoke was seen by overnight security at York Memorial Collegiate Institute in the early morning hours of May 7th, but that the fire department wasn't notified unti two hours later.
By the time the firefighters arrived, it had grown significantly, eventually leading to a six-alarm response, the day after the blaze originally began in the school's auditorium by accident.
"Clearly something didn't happen the way it should here," Tory said after reading the 46-page report by the Office of the Fire Marshal.
Tory said according to the report, tons of fire personnel were on scene on the evening of May 6th and eventually left, under the impression the blaze that began in the afternoon had been put out, leaving behind school security.
"There was smoke seen at 1:24 in the morning and then two hours later the fire department was called, so I think this is the part that we're going to have to focus in on," he said.
The report doesn't go into why the call was made so late, only giving the schedule of events.
Tory's comments come a day after the Office of the Fire Marshal announced it had completed its investigation into the fire at the 90-year-old school, finding it was accidental and a "single-event."
On Friday morning, Ontario's assistant deputy fire marshal clarified to NEWSTALK1010, that the initial blaze hid dormant in the walls and caverns of the school, due to its older design, and never was fully suppressed as originally thought.
The report is now in the hands of various stakeholders, but not the public.
"From our vantage point, this investigation is complete," spokesperson Carol Gravelle said.
The OFM also provided a bit of clarity on the accidental cause of the fire, saying they're not sure if it was a mechanical device that failed or a piece of electrical wire, but that it's clear it wasn't arson.
Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said his team has received the full report.
"Our team will review this fire investigation report in detail in order to gain a full understanding as to the origin, cause and circumstance analysis that has been completed," he said.
Despite the timeline revelation, Toronto District School Board spokesperson Ryan Bird said there's no further comment beyond a statement released Thursday, since they still haven't receive the report.
"We want to thank the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office for their thorough investigation. While we will have to review the report in its entirety before commenting, we remain very thankful that nobody was seriously injured as a result of this fire. Our focus right now and in the weeks ahead is on York Memorial students and staff as they begin the school year at the former Scarlett Heights site."
The school is still closed for repairs.