Propane explosions force evacuation in Toronto

Explosions at a propane facility forced thousands of people to evacuate a north-western Toronto neighbourhood early today, and witnesses described the sky lighting up in the glow of an enormous fireball before turning black with billowing smoke.

Police said there were only minor injuries, but firefighters were battling blazes at the Sunrise Propane Industrial Gases facility hours later.

The series of explosions around 3:50am local time (8.50am Irish Time) also shut down the city’s busiest roads and a part of the underground system, snarling traffic for many travellers.

Toronto fire services division commander Bob O’Hallarn told a news conference in the late morning that firefighters were close to extinguishing all the burning tanks, significantly reducing the risk of another explosion.

Mr O’Hallarn said he was aware of only minor injuries among nearby residents, although one person is unaccounted for.

“I think we were very lucky,” said O’Hallarn, who said he was surprised by the extent of one of the explosions. “There was a very large of amount of fire when we arrived. It could have been much more serious.”

Some residents said the blast was so forceful they felt their homes rock as though they had been struck by an earthquake.

“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 Robert Helman, who was covered in cuts and bruises as he fled his home.

Frightened residents within a one-mile radius were ordered to evacuate immediately, and police brought in buses to take residents out of the area.

About a dozen terrified residents – some clad in pyjamas and housecoats – found their way on foot to nearby Yorkdale shopping centre, where security offered them water and a place to rest.

While police couldn’t immediately identify how many people would be affected by the evacuation request, census data of that part of Toronto suggests that there could be as many 12,500 people and 5,300 private dwellings in area.

Mr O’Hallarn said he saw at least five heavily damaged homes and said windows were blown out a fair distance from the scene. He said it could he hours before residents are allowed back into the neighbourhood.