Shock, anger in wake of massive fire in city’s northwest
"We weren’t advised that they (propane company) were going to be there. They just moved in."
Area resident Josei MiceliAs the flames died down from yesterday’s massive series of explosions at a Toronto propane plant, they left behind a cloud of outrage.
Thousands of people, forced to flee their homes, are demanding answers from the city as to why Sunrise Propane Industrial Gases was allowed three years ago to build a distribution plant in a long-established residential area near Wilson Ave. and Keele St.
A 25-year veteran of the fire department, Bob Leek, died fighting the conflagration. A Sunrise employee was missing and believed also to have died. He reportedly was last seen heading toward the fire.
But the neighbourhood “got off very lucky,” said Toronto Fire Division Commander Bob O’Hallarn, though the pre-dawn blast shattered windows over a wide area and flying debris damaged buildings hundreds of metres away.
“It sounded like an atomic bomb,” said Fernando Caschera, 56.
The explosions were heard as far away as Avenue Rd. and Eglinton Ave. As many as 12,000 people within a 1.6-kilometre radius of the plant were forced into the streets. But only a handful needed hospital care for minor injuries, O’Hallarn said.
That didn’t make them any less mad. Josei Miceli, 59, who has been there for 40 years, said there was no consultation with locals about the propane plant.
“We were concerned when this company moved at the end of the street,” said Miceli. “But we weren’t even advised that they were going to be there. They just moved in.”
The fire continued to burn last night but was declared “under control.” Residents began returning home. Officials said five houses have been declared unsafe and their occupants will be put up in emergency shelters.
