About 5 minutes to 4 am this morning a loud "thundercrack" shook the house and woke both Aden and I up. Usually when thunderclaps strike I get right back to sleep, but this... this was different. Car alarms went off (yeah, that happens too) but the sound of a plane landing also was echoing through the once still night sky. As the distinctive WEEEEE noise seemed to broach closer and closer, short little booms, tiny explosions, started vibrating the air. Aden and I both propped ourselves up, looking over the headboard out the window. "What is that?" she said. "Definitely not thunder," I remarked. Seconds later the sky lit up orange, and over the cut out of rooftops and trees sparks shot up violently into the sky, everywhere, and a massive, never-heard-before explosion followed by a huge plumb of smoke followed.
We lept to our feet and robes, pulses pounding, and escaped out the front door to see if there was...anything... just smoke, and a continued parade of booming.
CFB Borden ordnance storage? The Airport/plane crash? The airplane factory (is there an airplane factory? (4:25 news reports suspects a Shell gas station/hotel is on fire and that there's a "military response")
The brother-in-law emerged from downstairs and to the television (useless, 20 minutes later and nothing), radio (680 news getting calls from people but nothing conclusive), and internet (yeah right). Neighbours that got into their cars shortly after 4:00 have just returned.
As B. said, top ten scariest moments of my life... and still no answers. The booming has yet to subside completely, though it's waning (about 4:19 and another large crack).
Traffic camera shots: 4:15am
4:29 - another big, reverberating explosion.
The little guy continues to sleep through it all (probably for the better, no need to upset him)
4:30 - CityPulse 24 finally acknowledges the explosion, stating: "homes evacuated and road closed after explosion at Keele/Finch"
- more explosions, more erratic timing, but continuing
4:32 - More explosions, loud and picking up more often again... word is it's Shell's big oil depots at Finch/Keele (still going 5 minutes later, but again, not as strong)
4:45 - more sirens join the orchestra of booms, but still no TV news, and police are saying nothing to the radio news
4:50 - now saying it's Wilson/Keele where explosions are (which would be more in line of where we saw explosion (news scroll saying 2 people hurt, homes evacuated, OPP, Fire Crews, paramedics on scene, telling people to avoid area)
4:55 - Fire is dying down. Propane depot residents report.
5:10 - It's funny how in this day and age (that makes me sound old saying that) there's so little real news when something big like this happens. A few blips on CP24's news scroll, and 680 News is only keeping us up-to-date thanks to the traffic lady telling us about the various road closures and evacuations... so... going back to bed.
10:00 - managed to fall asleep around 6am, my racing mind finally settling down, although one more loud boom occurred about 5:30.
finally.. news
the Star
the Globe
Rannie has some crisp photos and video from his apartment
The north city is in chaos. The 401 is closed - no access to the 401 from the 400 or DVP) - and Sheppard and Wilson roads are both closed between Jane and Bathurst (Sheppard is the major street just north of us, which also cuts us off). Subways are turning around at Laurence West (blocking off TTC access to Yorkdale, Wilson and Downsview). If we actually needed to go anywhere today, we'd have to walk over to Bathurst to take a bus East or South. Crazy (it's probably a good thing we're not hosting the Olympics this year).
It's confirmed that it's a propane (nitrogen and helium) depot, and authorities are concerned that there are still tankers that may still explode. They've evacuated, and continue to evacuate thousands from the area (to Yorkdale mall, of all places). No fatalities reported but workers were inside when the accident first started.
"forget the cameras and go"
Is that lightning at 5:23?
401 Abandoned
No traffic on the 401 between 400 and DVP.. I've never seen this before.
Backed up at Weston
Not sure where they're going to go
Briefing Update 11:15
Tanker trucks are still on fire but expected to be under control and possibly empty.
Spot fires throughout the scene, with propane tanks still threatening.
Natural Gas and hydro shut off in the immediate area.
The general scene is "better than it was"
A truck driver was filling up his truck, saw some smoke and left the area to report it and was away when the first explosion happened.