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In THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF Sunday August 10, 2008, a propane explosion rocked a neighbourhood in the north end of the City of Toronto. The explosion occurred at 54 Murray Road in the Dufferin and Wilson area of the City at 03:50hrs. The 911 Communication Centre located at Toronto Police Service received a call at 03:51hrs, saying there were: “Lots of explosions going on.” On receiving the information from 911, and based upon the information received by the Toronto Fire Services’ Communication Division, a Second alarm was dispatched before the First alarm crews left the station. Additional calls were received through the 911 emergency call system to Toronto Fire Services Communication Division. At 03:54hrs a caller reported multiple explosions and buildings involved, with huge explosions and multiple fi reballs visible. The fi rst arriving District Chief on scene at 03:56hrs upgraded the call to a Third alarm as explosions were happening every fi ve to 15 seconds. Toronto Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was also inundated with emergency calls; an EMS dispatcher reported injuries and that 911 phone lines were overwhelmed. The call was upgraded to a Fourth alarm at 03:58hrs as fi refi ghters on scene were evacuating residences and ensuring the safety of the public.

The District Chief in Command, District 14, called for a mass evacuation, saying: “The fire is out of control.” The call was quickly upgraded to a Fifth alarm at 04:05hrs. Ten minutes later, District Chief 14 requested a no fl y zone as the area of the fi re was in the fl ight path and in close proximity to both Lester B Pearson International Airport and the Bombardier runways. Highway 401 was also closed, owing to its proximity to the blast site. This section of the 401 Highway is one of the busiest highways in North America and a major commuter route.

The call was upgraded to a Sixth alarm at 04:58hrs and would see the following vehicles on scene working the incident, with 121 fire fighting personnel:

● 19 Pumps and rescue pumps;

● 6 Aerial ladders;

● 2 Heavy squads;

● 6 District chiefs;

● 2 Platoon chiefs;

● 3 Division commanders;

● 3 Deputy chiefs;

● 1 HazMat truck;

● 2 Air supply trucks; and

● 2 Command vehicles

The Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) was activated for the City of Toronto. Given the magnitude of the incident, the Deputy Mayor, City Manager, Deputy City Managers and Division Heads from the various city departments assembled at the centre. The evacuation zone for this incident was established with a 1.6km (0.99 mile) radius by Canada’s Transport Emergency Centre, Canutec. This required the co-ordination and evacuation of 10,000 residents from the immediate area of the explosion. Toronto Transit Commission buses transported the evacuees to York University, approximately two miles (3.22km) north of the blast site, where a reception centre for residents was established. The explosion and subsequent fire had taken place at a Sunrise Propane site and claimed the life of one of the company’s employees. The ensuing blast hurled debris into the surrounding residential area, blowing out windows and causing damage to many homes. The transportation division yard and EMS station sustained damage from the blast and debris fallout. A propane highway tanker located on the Sunrise site was blown into the transportation yard and the end of the vehicle landed on the facility’s offi ce. Another large piece of the tanker also became a projectile and landed on the roof of the salt dome. Numerous pieces of shrapnel were scattered across the surrounding neighbourhood. During this incident District Chief Bob Leek, Emergency Planning Offi cer for the Toronto Fire Services, suffered a fatal cardiac arrest while performing home site inspections in the area surrounding the evacuated blast zone. District Chief Leek was a 25-year veteran of the Toronto Fire Services and was afforded a Line of Duty Death department funeral with more than 3,500 fi refi ghters in attendance on August 15. Initial reports from Canutec suggested that the fire could take as long as seven days to burn out. The actions of Toronto Fire Services personnel on the scene during the incident were exceptional as the fi re was contained to the site and extinguished by 18:00hrs on August 10. Under the direction and leadership of Deputy Fire Chief Jim Shelton, fire crews advanced hose lines to shut off fixed propane tanks and to establish fl are-off procedures with propane technicians to burn off residual propane on site. These actions significantly reduced the magnitude of the incident.

Once the fi re was extinguished the site was turned over to the Offi ce of Fire Marshal, Province of Ontario, for investigation purposes. Owing to the number of propane cylinders and high pressure cylinders on site, Toronto Fire Services maintained a fire watch until the scene investigation was completed. This required apparatus on scene 24 hours a day from August 10 through to September 15 to ensure site and area safety.

The blast caused asbestos to be released from the buildings on the Sunrise Propane site; asbestos was emitted into the thermal column and friable asbestos was discovered on the roofs and lawns in the surrounding area. The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) issued an order to Sunrise Propane on August 13 to take immediate action to clean up the site and the surrounding area. As a result of inaction by Sunrise Propane, the city took over cleaning up the surrounding neighbourhood. This included the clean-up of asbestos by contractors hired by the corporation and required the asbestos to be picked up or vacuumed for disposal from building roofs, lawns, gardens, sidewalks and roads. This was accomplished block by block in a timely manner in order to return residents to their homes. The city and its contractors followed guidelines established by the Ministry of Labour for worker safety and the exterior clean-up of approximately 580 homes was completed by August 22, 2008.

Common Goal

On August 21, 2008, the MOE issued an Order to Sunrise Propane and the owner of the site. On August 27, 2008, the city was advised by the MOE that it did not have confidence that Sunrise or the property owner would address site security, safety and clean-up concerns of the site in a timely manner. As a result, the city agreed to carry out certain work on the site to make it safe. This incident involved numerous divisions and ministries from the City of Toronto, Province of Ontario, as well as support agencies such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army. Our common goal was to mitigate the incident and to restore the community to the pre-incident state. Regrettably, two lives were lost but countless others saved as a direct result of our actions in serving the citizens of Toronto. Members of the Toronto Fire Services responded with courage, compassion and service.

Author : William A Stewart is Fire Chief, Toronto Fire Services, Canada