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West-End Transformer Fire Leads to Massive Power Outage

By David Topping

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A man directs traffic at King and University during rush hour. Photo by Adrian Incogmed.


For approximately one quarter of a million Torontonians, power went off today at 4:44 p.m.—the result of a fire at a transformer station near Kipling Avenue. As of 9 p.m., it was mostly back. Torontoist’s live updates throughout the outage are below, in reverse-chronological order.

8:45 PM: According to Hydro One—who we just called to confirm reports from readers and contributors that power is back on city-wide after the outage—”all load has been restored” to the system, which means power is coming back on everywhere, if it isn’t back already. That, then, ought to conclude our live coverage. Thanks, as always, for following and contributing.
8:16 PM: At around 6:15 p.m., after the fire was put out but before power came back on, Torontoist’s Christopher Drost was at the Manby Transformer Station, just south of Kipling Station, and took these photos of the blown-out transformer:
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Photos by Christopher Drost/Torontoist.


8:01 PM: Reader Adrian Incogmed sends these photos, of a man directing traffic at King and University during rush hour:
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Photos by Adrian Incogmed.


While helping out in this way might seem like one of the more civically responsible things you can do during a blackout, Toronto Police actively discourage it, citing safety concerns.
7:48 PM: And now, reports of power back on throughout Etobicoke.
7:23 PM: Full TTC subway service is now resuming. (The Bloor line, from Jane to Kipling, was closed two hours ago.)
7:16 PM: More reports of power whirring back on at Christie & St. Clair, King & Bathurst, Ossington & Davenport, Keele & Annette, Bloor & Royal York, and Bloor & Islington. Some contradictory reports about Bathurst & Eglinton and Bathurst & St. Clair—some readers say the power’s back on for them there, others not so much.
6:56 PM: And a great little anecdote from the Globe, with the royal family in town visiting: “At the Fairmont Royal York hotel, the lights went out just as Prince Philip began awarding the Duke of Edinburgh awards in the Canadian room. ”
6:49 PM: And as far as disaster capitalism goes, surely you can do a lot better than this, Toronto.
6:46 PM: Reports from multiple readers now, of power back on along the waterfront: Spadina & Bremner, York & Queens Quay, King & Spadina…
6:33 PM: We’re awaiting new news—in the last half hour, we’ve heard no new reports of power returning back on where it was off before. Mayor David Miller is expected to be sending a statement to press shortly. According to TTC Chair Adam Giambrone, two trains were stuck in the tunnels when the power was turned out, but passengers are safe. And the temperature right now is 32°—which feels like 43°.
5:59 PM: Stephen Michalowicz sends this shot, of the cloud moments after the explosion that he saw earlier this afternoon burst out of a transformer station:

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The transformer fire moments after an explosion. Photo by Stephen Michalowicz/Torontoist.


In the meantime, Toronto Police have no ETA for the power to fully return, but report some 250,000 customers are affected.
5:51 PM: Reports from readers now of power back on at Queen & Shaw, Queen & Bathurst, Dundas & Shaw, King & Dufferin, Bathurst & Adelaide, Queen & Lansdowne…
5:48 PM: From Nile Livesey comes this photo of the fire:

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Photo by Nile Livesey


5:26 PM: A map of the areas affected, from Toronto Hydro. The live version is here.
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5:39 PM: We have some as yet unconfirmed reports of the power coming back on along the more northern parts of Bathurst—at Eglinton, Lawrence. But nearly all of those who lost power an hour ago are reporting it’s still off.
5:20 PM: Because of the power outage, the Bloor-Danforth subway isn’t running from Jane to Kipling; shuttle buses are currently running in the line’s stead.
5:11 PM: According to our readers, staff, and Twitter followers:
Where the power’s reported out: Sherway Gardens, Cloverdale Mall, Queen & Spadina, Jane & Lawrence, Bathurst & Eglinton, King & John, St. Clair & Christie, Islington & Bloor, Queens Quay & Yonge, Spadina & Adelaide, King & Spadina, Bathurst & St. Clair, Queen & Dufferin, Dupont & Christie.
Where the power’s reported on: University & Dundas, Queen & University, Bay & Bloor, Yonge & Sheppard, Yonge & St. Clair, Jarvis & Wellesley, Yonge & Eglinton, Bathurst & Bloor.
5:06 PM: Happening now: a blackout across large portions of downtown, caused by a transformer fire. Our Stephen Michalowicz saw the fire first hand, as what he calls a “giant fireball” lept eight storeys tall out of a transformer station at Kipling and Norseman just before 4:45 p.m. this afternoon. Michalowicz reports that fire crews are on the scene of the fire at the transformer station, near Kipling Station.
We’re tracking the blackout now, and will be collecting minor updates on our Twitter, @torontoist, and major updates here. If you have tips or photos, send them to tips@torontoist.com.

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Comments

  • http://bit.ly/accozzaglia accozzaglia

    Shake, (quake) rattle (riots), and roll (blackout). Goodness. We just can’t seem to get a break this summer, can we?

  • http://undefined warmflash

    City rocked by fireball! Mammoliti , Smitherman and Ford are in the area investigating and handing out bottled water and cheese to the less fortunate.

  • http://undefined Craig C

    I don’t know about you, but I’d rather this little blackout and the earthquake over the garbage strike of yesteryear.
    The G20 weekend we could have done without, however.

  • http://undefined rek

    I don’t think I could take this heat without power right now. Mine went out for 16 hours in the Jan 09 blackout.

  • http://undefined Vee

    power on on beaconsfield from the drake up to dundas!

  • http://undefined Tlönista

    The power’s on in Parkdale (King and Dufferin).

  • http://undefined goldingrass
  • http://bit.ly/accozzaglia accozzaglia

    With all due respect, what in god’s name is so original about the trite, insipid, “I survived the ________” that would get people to go, “Huh-huh. Awesome?”
    I survived my 5 July 2010 breakfast. Maybe there should be a shirt for that, too.

  • http://undefined goldingrass
  • http://bit.ly/accozzaglia accozzaglia

    As we were.

  • http://undefined rich1299

    I was on the subway when it happened and had to get off at Jane with the assurance there would be shuttle buses, well this is the second time in recent memory that the subway has left me stranded at Jane and neither time did I see even one shuttle bus, the last time I waited in the area for almost an hour before getting a cab and never saw one shuttle bus, this time I didn’t wait very long and decided to go down South Kingsway to Queensway and get on the streetcar there, great plan I thought, I knew there were buses on South Kingsway since I’ve seen them turn up there off of the Queensway in the past when I’ve been on the streetcar, I couldn’t find the bus bay at Jane station but figured if I walked a short way down the road I’d find a bus stop, after all if a bus goes up a street it must come down it too, right? Wrong! I didn’t pass one southbound bus stop and ended up having to walk all the way from Bloor to the Queensway, luckily it wasn’t that far really but on a hot day like today it was plenty far enough and no stores to buy water at the entire way. Few seemed eager to take them up on the offer of a shuttle bus anyways, most people it seemed were determined to wait out the delay on the platform instead of trying to rely on the shuttle buses, sometimes I think they just announce shuttle buses to keep passenger’s hopes up for a little while longer before they realize nothing is coming to take them home. There was a kind hearted woman offering rides to Royal York, in retrospect I should’ve taken her up on her offer but I was still convinced I had a great plan to get to the Queensway streetcar. I still have no idea where the bus goes that turns up South Kingsway, I saw it again when I was waiting for the streetcar, I just missed one when I had arrived by a few seconds and the next one didn’t come for about 20 minutes or so, it was that sort of trip home today, but at least on the Queensway there was an occasional cool breeze off the lake to cool me down a little bit so that helped. Anyways if they’re going to announce shuttle buses there should be shuttle buses, I recall times in the past when the subway shut down and there were shuttle buses, I don’t know why the last two times have been different, its especially bad at Jane station where you can’t get south or west on any other bus route. Torontoist should ask the TTC why it seems no shuttle buses ever arrive at Jane station when the subway shuts down.

  • http://undefined spacejack

    I just want to say that Torontoist has become my #1 choice for live reporting of earthquakes, riots and blackouts.

  • http://bit.ly/accozzaglia accozzaglia

    Oh my!

  • http://undefined heys

    Great job Torontoist. Reporting on this issue. (However I could do without the like on Facebook)

  • David Toronto

    The power failure caused the CBC TV news at 5 pm
    to be substituted with the Ottawa news. It took
    a couple of minutes for the program to offer the
    explanation.

  • thelemur

    I biked north from the lake around 5 pm. Crossing the Lakeshore without signals was pretty hairy, York/Front/University slightly less so even with police directing traffic, and there were no working traffic lights until Dundas. There was a nice moment of bike solidarity at Queen & John when a half-dozen of us decided to seize our moment to cross once the streetcar had passed: ‘Ready, cyclists?’ – ‘Let’s go!’.

  • http://bit.ly/accozzaglia accozzaglia

    Bike solidarity. I like the sounds of that.

  • http://www.michaeljeremybrown.ca/ Michael Brown

    Now that is an awesome shirt–much much better than surviving the blackout, the earthquake, the G20. Absolutely insignificant events that we survive…brilliant stuff. How about shirts like…”I just got off the 501 streetcar” or “I have to find a CIBC bank machine” or “I think I might have the left the coffee pot on at home”…they are so absurd…they are brilliant…makes me think of the comedian Steven Wright. Good stuff goldingrass…I like the new angle!