Explosion Rocks Northwest Toronto Neighborhood

Police are evacuating homes in the area of Keele and Wilson after a number of explosions were heard at 3:45AM this morning. Residents say the explosions appear to have occurred at a propane depot.

There were dozens of explosions that shook buildings for miles, waking residents from their sleep, and sending black smoke billowing hundreds of metres into the air.

A number of police and emergency vehicles are at the scene. The local transit have brought in buses for shelter.  There are no reports of any injuries at this time.
Source:  680 News Radio

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A firefighter has been found without vital signs.  Yorkdale Mall is now being evacuated, no reason being given yet.                                                            Source:  CP24  2:35 PM

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Update:

Evacuated residents of a 1.6-kilometre swath of northwest Toronto are now allowed back into their homes, emergency management officials said Sunday night.  Highways are now being reopened.  Full service has been restored on the TTC.  Yorkdale Bus Terminal , (not Yorkdale Mall, as previously reported by CP24), has been closed for the day.

Officials say that the power is being turned on in the neighbourhood one transformer at a time, but it could take days for gas service to be restored in all homes.

One firefighter, Bob Leek, a 25 year veteran, aged 55 has died after fighting the blaze.  Eighteen people were treated for injuries.  One man, Parminda Saini, an employee at Sunrise Propane Ltd., is still unaccounted for.
Source:  CP24 8:30 PM

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August 11th Update:

As many as 3,000 people are being kept away from their homes after authorities discover that a quarter of the residences near the propane blast site have asbestos.  Five streets within a one-block radius of the explosion at the Sunrise Propane facility are still cordoned off as a safety precaution.

Meanwhile, about 50 homes are uninhabitable, according to officials surveying the area.  The residents that can return to their homes are finding much damage, and store owners are now in full clean up mode. The impact of the explosion that began yesterday morning has shattered windows across the area, leaving lots of debris.  Some have described the aftermath as a war zone.  Homes have their doors, windows, some even roofs blown in.  Debris litters streets all through the area. In some cases even parts of the propane tanks that were once on site at the facility are now kilometres away.

Officers are asking residents who find pieces from the blast on their property to contact police and not touch what will be considered evidence in the blast investigation.

Below is a list of the roads closed:

- Fredrick Tessdale Circuit, building 201-226 only
- all of Murray Road
- all of Garratt Boulevard
- Wilson Avenue from Murrary Road to Ancastor Road
- Regent Road from Murrary Road to Ancastor Road
- Katherine Road from Murrary Road to Ancastor Road
- Spalding Road from Murrary Road to Ancastor Road
- Plewes Road from Murray Road to Ancastor Road