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Propane Plant Blast Triggers Evacuations

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The Associated Press

Published: August 11, 2008

TORONTO - Explosions at a propane facility forced thousands of people to evacuate early Sunday, and witnesses described the sky lighting up in the glow of an enormous fireball before turning black with billowing smoke. One firefighter died, officials said.

Firefighters were battling blazes at the Sunrise Propane Industrial Gasses facility hours later. A worker at the plant was unaccounted for, Toronto police said. Some residents suffered minor injuries.

Toronto fire services division chief David Sheen said the veteran firefighter died at the scene, though cause of death was not known.
Ontario Minister of Community Safety Rick Bartolucci said the fire continued to burn Sunday evening but is under control. The cause is under investigation.

The explosions early Sunday also shut down Canada's busiest highway and a part of the subway system, snarling traffic for thousands of travelers.

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

"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.

Fearing the air had turned toxic, police used bullhorns to order the estimated 12,500 residents within a mile radius of the plant to flee their homes immediately. Air quality tests later in the day showed the fumes were not toxic.

Toronto fire services division commander Bob O'Hallarn saw at least five heavily damaged homes and said windows were blown out a fair distance from the scene. He also saw large pieces of metal on the street that looked like they were from tanker trucks.

Some residents were allowed to return home Sunday night. In cases where homes were found to be uninhabitable, residents were escorted back to shelters.

Many angry residents were demanding to know why such a facility was ever allowed in their established residential neighborhood.

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