Smoke and fire at Yonge and Bloor causes confusion during afternoon commute
Traffic was gummed up to the max around one of Toronto's busiest intersections during rush hour on Monday evening thanks to fire inside a four-storey-deep hole.
.@TorontoPolice have closed the intersection of Yonge/ Bloor for a fire in a construction site. @Toronto_Fire crews setting up aerial operations. Fire is roughly four stories down in a site #Toronto pic.twitter.com/pqVtt7lDHH
— Andrew Collins (@ACollinsPhoto) August 26, 2019
A fire broke out inside an active construction pit on the southwest corner of Yonge and Bloor Streets around 6 p.m., according to police, though it is not yet known what caused the blaze.
Toronto Fire responding to what appears to be smoke at a construction site at Yonge and Bloor pic.twitter.com/nSrSWHwIUl
— Katie O'Connor (@KA_OConnor) August 26, 2019
Bloor Street was closed off from Church to Bay while Yonge Street was closed between Hayden and Cumblerland on account of what police called "billowing black smoke from [a] hole in the ground."
Working fire southwest corner Yonge Bloor #2 pic.twitter.com/ILvEZOCkpe
— Peter B (@va3emf) August 26, 2019
No injuries were reported, but pedestrians had to navigate around multiple fire and police vehicles (with the help of traffic-directing TPS officers) to access the TTC.
The smoke has eased off, it traffic hasn’t. TPS has an officer directing traffic. Toronto Fire says the fire was caused by building materials. No word on injuries pic.twitter.com/9TrVbsF9Lk
— Matthew Bingley (@mattybing) August 26, 2019
It didn't take long for firefighters to snuff out the blaze. A platoon chief later confirmed to reporters that "various construction materials" had been on fire.
Not what I'd expect at a construction site! Yikes!! Yonge Bloor intersection pic.twitter.com/VA8ISYggzq
— Susan Sanei-Stamp (@SaneiStamp) August 26, 2019
The fire took place at what used to be Hue's Kitchen, where a single, three-storey brick heritage building stood.
Soon to come where the hole is now will be Sam Mizrahi's extravagant, 86-storey luxury condo tower "The One."
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