Author Topic: Massive Explosion In Toronto  (Read 304 times)

Twentytwofifty

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Massive Explosion In Toronto
« on: August 10, 2008, 11:27:54 AM »
Around the 1:50 mark is a big blast.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/oV5udSWJcZo&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/oV5udSWJcZo&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1</a>

Quote
Toronto rocked by explosions at propane facility
Zosia Bielski and Becky Rynor ,  Canwest News Service
Published: Sunday, August 10, 2008

TORONTO -- Thousands of people evacuated from their suburban Toronto neighbourhood are re-living the horror of being awakened by series of explosions at a nearby propane storage facility early Sunday.

"Our windows blew. Everything blew out. Doors were blown open. Our door handles actually came off. Light fixtures had fallen. We had glass all over our staircase," resident Vicki Arciero said. "It was like a nuclear explosion.  "She said her family took shelter in their basement, just three doors away from Sunrise Propane facility at Keele and Wilson, until emergency services workers came to help them evacuate the area.  "I thought it was an earthquake with the noise and the way my building shook," said freelance photographer Sarah Millar.

Stefano Valente was working his night shift at a grocery store when the blast occurred.  "The store started shaking like crazy," he said.  "Windows were flopping in and out like they were rubber. Stuff was falling from the ceiling like snow. Things were falling from the shelves, a couple of us fell. It was the most intense thing I've ever experienced."  Valente ran from the store and saw a big mushroom cloud that "reeked," he said.

Well into Sunday, firefighters were still working to contain a number of "spot fires" at the facility.  "It was a very difficult fire to fight because of the heat and the amount of fire was spread over a very large area," Division Commander Bob O'Hallarn of Toronto Fire Services told a news conference.  "When the initial explosion went off, or one of the explosions went off, it obviously spread fire all over the general area," he said.  By mid-morning, he said that situation had improved.  "We had an unknown number of tanks, I had various reports of two or four tanks that had flames impinging on them, that were venting and burning," he said. "We have that down to one large . . . tanker of (liquified petroleum gas) and one of them that was burning and venting is no longer venting, or venting only sporadically now."  O'Hallarn said police have spoken to a driver who was in the facility early Sunday morning.  "He was filling up his truck and he saw some either smoke or some type of gas and went to report that and left the area. As he was leaving the area there was an explosion."  O'Hallarn said by mid-morning another smaller, tanker trailer still had flames emerging from beneath it, which he said may have been the tires burning.  "It's not venting at all and it may very well be empty as well. So the situation is better than before," he said, although he said there are still a number of "spot fires" that need to be extinguished and a number of other propane tankers "all over the yard of different sizes."

Arciero said just two days ago her daughter had voiced concerns to her mother about living so close to the plant and that they should move. They have lived in the area for 16 years. She said the plant came in four years ago.  "That shouldn't be there," Arciero said.

A section of Highway 401 south of the explosion remained closed Sunday afternoon. A "no-fly" zone in the area was also been implemented following the explosions.

Elaine Smyer, the manager of emergency planning for the city of Toronto said as many as 12,000 residents could be affected by the evacuation. Speaking from York University where a shelter has been set up for evacuees, Smyer could not say how long the evacuation was expected to last.  "They can stay with us until we can determine whether they can return home or if they need to find other places of accommodation."  She also asked people with friends and family near the scene of the blast to not travel to York in hopes of connecting with those people.  "We're trying to get to all the residents in the area, trying to get them out," said Toronto police Sgt. Dan Martin.

A still undetermined number of explosions erupted from the Sunrise Propane facility in North York at about 4 a.m.  Police said the company stores and distributes a number of highly flammable welding supplies and gases such as acetylene, argon, nitrogen, propane and oxygen which police say is "highly explosive."  The cause of the explosion has not been determined.  He said he has "no idea" what's in the tankers, but said "it's probably propane, because it's a propane facility. But who knows? It could be methane, it could be anything."  No fatalities have been reported but Sgt. Peter Laufer said the owner of the company told police there are eight employees who have not been accounted for.  "But they may have been away for the weekend. They probably wouldn't have been there at that hour, anyway."  "There's a possibility there were people in the building, but nothing is confirmed," Martin said. "We won't know until the situation has calmed down. Until the fire is out we won't be able to get in there to investigate."  O'Hallarn said one other resident of the area remains unaccounted for, but only minor injuries have been reported.  Emergency Services spokesman Peter MacIntyre said one person was taken to hospital with a minor ankle injury received while evacuating his home.

"We've treated some minor injuries at the scene," he said. "Other than this one individual, we have not transported anyone else. It's people we have treated for minor cuts and bruises. We have notified all the area hospitals so they are on standby. They are aware that they could be having an influx of patients and many people will choose to go to the hospital on their own."

Huge billows of dark smoke could be seen from the area of the blast. Several images of the explosions, and videos of the fireballs going off were posted online soon after they occurred.

Here is how many units from Toronto Fire Services are dispatched right now, like 10 hours after the explosion:



60+ fire apparatus' and support vehicles are still there.  And one firefighter is VSA right now.   :(
« Last Edit: August 10, 2008, 11:32:42 AM by Knuckles »
 

herpes

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Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2008, 04:19:23 PM »
How close was it to you ?
 

big mat

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Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2008, 08:19:44 PM »
wow :o, that shit was cooler than a muthafucka, wish i was around
 

Sikotic™

Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2008, 08:42:22 PM »
RIP to the firefighter. I heard one other person is missing as well.
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Twentytwofifty

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Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2008, 08:05:40 AM »
RIP to the firefighter. I heard one other person is missing as well.

The person missing was an employee from the propane facility.  They found a body yesterday, was probably him.


Here is a better video.  This is a great shot, you can see the shockwave:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/cQ33nprnQHI&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/cQ33nprnQHI&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1</a>
 

Jome

Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2008, 08:31:13 AM »
Damn.

Alarm level 6 is the highest ?

 

big mat

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Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2008, 08:04:15 PM »
god damn, propane is really a bitch. I'll have to show this to my mama. I told her only men could cook on a bbq and light it up but she was like yeah yeah you just like your father and i was like, stay in the home while i light this shit. Now she can see what really happens when a woman touch a bbq
 

Sikotic™

Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2008, 08:18:36 PM »
god damn, propane is really a bitch. I'll have to show this to my mama. I told her only men could cook on a bbq and light it up but she was like yeah yeah you just like your father and i was like, stay in the home while i light this shit. Now she can see what really happens when a woman touch a bbq
They need to keep their asses in the kitchen.
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Lunatic

Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2008, 08:22:50 PM »
i live 15 min drive away from this shit and I swear 2 god, i heard the explosion when it happened :o
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Twentytwofifty

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Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2008, 09:34:32 AM »
Damn.

Alarm level 6 is the highest ?

I don't know for certain but I think so, short of an event like 9/11 this kinda of emergency is as big as it gets.
 

mikeymcee

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Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2008, 04:56:18 PM »
that's crazy. Can't believe how huge of an explosion that was.
 

jeromechickenbone

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Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #11 on: August 14, 2008, 06:01:47 AM »
god damn, propane is really a bitch. I'll have to show this to my mama. I told her only men could cook on a bbq and light it up but she was like yeah yeah you just like your father and i was like, stay in the home while i light this shit. Now she can see what really happens when a woman touch a bbq

+1
 

King Tech Quadafi

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Re: Massive Explosion In Toronto
« Reply #12 on: August 19, 2008, 11:57:53 PM »
i live 5 min drive away...theres gonna be a lot of lawsuits, regulation, etc as a result

my boys a firefighter, he was there that day
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