Distributed by the Associated Press

A 20-month-old girl caught in a townhouse fire was safely tossed from a second-story window by her mother and into the arms of a rescuer believed to be the husband of another woman who died in the blaze Tuesday.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at around 11:30 a.m. after a report of an explosion at the east-end residence and ensuing flames and smoke.

The victim was reportedly a 63-year-old mother of six and had a respiratory ailment that required her to rely on an oxygen tank to help her breathe.

Firefighters saw the victim on her back balcony screaming for help and were able to reach her, but she later died at the scene.

The blaze broke out on the first floor of the victim's three-storey unit, said Toronto fire Capt. David Eckerman, but he could not immediately confirm if one of the woman's oxygen tanks exploded and caused the fire.

The victim's husband had left in the morning to take a neighbour to a dentist, and when he returned a short time later, he was shocked to find his home in flames, Eckerman said.

Despite the man's fears for his wife, he apparently helped a neighbour save her young daughter, Eckerman said.

"The woman dropped her baby from a second-storey window to, I believe it was actually the husband of the woman who later died," he said. "He caught the neighbour's child."

After the baby girl was rescued, two quick-thinking bystanders grabbed a ladder and helped the woman escape from the burning building.

About 80 firefighters responded to the blaze, which is being investigated by Ontario's Office of the Fire Marshal.