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Propane depot fire triggers evacuations in Toronto
Updated Sun. Aug. 10 2008 9:11 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Blasts at a north Toronto propane facility have forced the evacuation of thousands of frightened residents and has shut down part of Canada's busiest highway.
Division Commander Bob O'Hallarn of Toronto Fire told a Sunday news conference that firefighters are trying to cool at least two propane rail tankers to keep them from exploding.
The tankers can hold up to 220,000 litres of propane, but it isn't known if they are full, he said.
The early morning explosion triggered a seven-alarm response, which CTV Toronto's Chris Eby told Newsnet is virtually unprecedented.
The blast lit up the area with giant orange fireballs, sent smoke billowing into the sky and could reportedly be heard seven kilometres away.
"It was just a tremendous explosion and blew all the windows out of the house, just blew the house up, and I just managed to get out of there in time,'' said area resident Robert Helman.
"My windows just cracked and they blew out,'' said Ricardo Oliveria, 24.
"My whole room lights up orange and I look out. I live on the top floor so I had a perfect view. And I just seen a huge ball of flame hundreds of metres in the sky, big black pillars of smoke.'
"We got freaked out. My family woke up. They thought it was a plane that went down,'' he said.
Eby said the explosion happened at the Sunrise Propane facility in the North York neighbourhood near Keele and Wilson. The area isn't that heavily populated, he said.
Fire officials said residents living in a 1.6-kilometre radius around the plant had been evacuated over concerns about explosions from the tankers.
Police using megaphones warned that the air was toxic and that people should leave immediately. However, they have since said the air is not toxic.
Buses took people, some still only wearing their pyjamas, to the Yorkdale shopping centre, which lies southeast of the scene.
The 401 Highway -- which runs east to west -- was shut down between the 400 Highway, the major artery leading north out of Toronto, and the Don Valley Parkway.
Police said the highway should be re-opened later today, but there's no time estimate for when that might happen.
A no-fly zone has also been imposed to cover the skies above the fire site.
Peter MacIntyre of Toronto EMS told the news conference that his staff have treated some minor injuries. Some people may have transported themselves to a hospital for treatment, he added.
There were workers at the facility, which operates 24 hours per day.
With files from The Canadian Press
Огромный взрыв, что у меня в Хай Парке было светло как днем 
