![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lordshipmayhemThere's a block in downtown Toronto currently ablaze, with some 130 firefighters and 49 trucks on scene, plus EMS, police, Toronto Transit Commission (they're housing residents in two TTC buses and one EMS ambulance bus until everything dies down), Toronto Hydro, Embridge Gas company (to shut off the utilities to the block) etc.
The good news: everyone got out safely, no serious injuries. EMS is reporting that any patients treated were done on-the-spot and didn't have to be transported to hospital.
The block, on Queen just east of Bathurst, houses some apartments and a site dear to many Toronto otaku: Suspect Video's Queen Street store. In case you're wondering, it's gone, the building the store is housed in is not only completely gutted, it's in danger of collapsing onto the street, like one of the other buildings has already done. Just yesterday, Suspect Video had been featured in a week-long "indie video store" feature on CityTV.
Right now they've pulled back because there's a chance of "an explosive substance" (to wit: a possible drug lab) in one of the burning buildings. They're treating the block as a crime scene.
Queen has been blocked from Bathurst to Spadina, with streetcars diverting to King from Bathurst all the way to Church, on the far side of the Financial District.
The buildings in the block are ancient Victorian/Edwardian construction, which means lots of little nooks and crannies for fire to hide, grow and spread, and also means few if any sprinkler installations (between that and the wind, it was very easy for the fire to spread), and because of the fire all are unstable.
In case you're wondering, it's currently -11C with wind chill of -20C. That wind chill means it feel like it's about halfway between freezing and -40 (which is approximately the same in Fahrenheit and Celsius). The firefighters' turnout coats, bunker pants and air packs are coated with a thin film of ice as a result. I don't envy them their job right now.
Edit: Canoe.ca has posted a map of the fire location here.
The good news: everyone got out safely, no serious injuries. EMS is reporting that any patients treated were done on-the-spot and didn't have to be transported to hospital.
The block, on Queen just east of Bathurst, houses some apartments and a site dear to many Toronto otaku: Suspect Video's Queen Street store. In case you're wondering, it's gone, the building the store is housed in is not only completely gutted, it's in danger of collapsing onto the street, like one of the other buildings has already done. Just yesterday, Suspect Video had been featured in a week-long "indie video store" feature on CityTV.
Right now they've pulled back because there's a chance of "an explosive substance" (to wit: a possible drug lab) in one of the burning buildings. They're treating the block as a crime scene.
Queen has been blocked from Bathurst to Spadina, with streetcars diverting to King from Bathurst all the way to Church, on the far side of the Financial District.
The buildings in the block are ancient Victorian/Edwardian construction, which means lots of little nooks and crannies for fire to hide, grow and spread, and also means few if any sprinkler installations (between that and the wind, it was very easy for the fire to spread), and because of the fire all are unstable.
In case you're wondering, it's currently -11C with wind chill of -20C. That wind chill means it feel like it's about halfway between freezing and -40 (which is approximately the same in Fahrenheit and Celsius). The firefighters' turnout coats, bunker pants and air packs are coated with a thin film of ice as a result. I don't envy them their job right now.
Edit: Canoe.ca has posted a map of the fire location here.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-02-20 04:46 pm (UTC)(I'm embarrassed to admit I had to refer to the map to orient myself, but my geography west of Spadina was never great to begin with.)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-02-20 04:59 pm (UTC)Good news: still no reports of injuries (aside from extremely minor, treat-at-scene type), and no reports of pets missing.