Toronto EXPLOSIONS send smoke billowing through financial district of city
TORONTO police raced to the city’s financial hub after a number of underground explosions left smoke billowing through the area.
Thick clouds of smoke coming from Toronto's underground
Shocking footage showed smoke pouring out from sewers and into the streets around Scotia Plaza, the city’s third largest skyscraper, at King West and Bay Street.
Witnesses claim purple flames spat out from sewer grates along with brown and black plumes of smoke.
Pedestrians ran in terror to escape the shocking eruptions from the pavement below them.
Pedestrians ran in terror to escape the shocking eruptions
Black smoke pours from beneath Scotia Plaza in Toronto
Witness Mike Amsterdam was walking home from work when the ground beneath him spewed out the thick toxic smoke.
Mr Amsterdam said: “I had just walked over the subway grates — I'm assuming those are subway grates — and then about 15 steps, 20 steps later, heard an explosion.
"Then, just a giant brown cloud of smoke and a few more explosions.
A fire spokesman revealed the blasts were caused by a blaze in the city’s hydro-electric system
"You could hear the grates rattling. It probably happened four or five times, I think, maybe more."
A fire spokesman revealed the blasts were caused by a fire in the city’s hydro-electric power system.
Firefighters have since managed to contain the blaze after securing an underground hydro vault.
Platoon chief Kevin Shaw said: "It's energised, electrical equipment that's in the vault, it overheats, starts melting down... so that's where you're hearing the crackle and the popping".
irefighters have since managed to contain the blaze
Toxic smoke billowed out from the sewers and into the streets
The surrounding areas near the blasts were placed on lockdown after the blast occurred at 10.15pm BST (5.15pm local time).
No injuries or fatalities have been reported, Constable Allyson Douglas-Cook confirmed
Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said: “All evacuations, road and path closures and TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) bypasses are precautionary as Toronto Fire fully suppresses the hydro vault fire.”