Propane Fireball Result From Explosion In Toronto

Explosions at a propane facility forced thousands of people to evacuate early Sunday, and witnesses described the sky lighting up in the glow of an enormous fireball before turning black with billowing smoke.

Police said there were only minor injuries, but firefighters were battling blazes at the Sunrise Propane Industrial Gases facility hours later. The series of explosions around 3:50 a.m. EDT also shut down the city's busiest highways, snarling traffic for thousands of travelers.

Some residents said the blast was so forceful they felt their homes rock as though they had been struck by an earthquake.

"It was just a tremendous explosion and blew all the windows out of the house, just blew the house up, and I just managed to get out of there in time," said Robert Helman, who was covered in cuts and bruises as he fled his home.

Residents within a one-mile radius were ordered to evacuate immediately, and police brought in buses to take residents out of the area.

About a dozen terrified residents _ some clad in pajamas and housecoats _ found their way on foot to nearby Yorkdale shopping mall, where security offered them water and a place to rest.

While police couldn't immediately identify how many people would be affected by the evacuation request, census data of that part of Toronto suggests that there could be as many 12,500 people and 5,300 private dwellings in the one-mile area around the explosion.

Toronto fire services division commander Bob O'Hallarn said he saw at least five heavily damaged homes and said it could he hours before residents are allowed back into the neighborhood.

The remaining burning propane tanks at Toronto plant were almost out, he said.

"There was a very large of amount of fire when we arrived," O'Hallarn said. "It could have been much more serious."

Comments

[jeffp26]

That's one way to make sure the globe keeps warming.

[JonasH]

Sunrise Propane Industrial Gases... Well, I can see a sunrise. So the company turned out to be very apptly named.

[PepeLepew]

Oh, my gosh. Those poor, innocent Canadians.

[Mort]

Heckuva flashback, eh?

[sher2x4]

Do any of you remember seeing an atomic bomb go off in Nevada.
The ones before sun-up were absolutly frightening.
The sky would completely light up from horizon to horizon,
and that was from the far side of Calif.

[mabinog]

yow, a change your undies moment.

[Big0725]

Holy crap! How eerily beautiful! Thank goodness that there were only minor injuries.

[CharlieMarlowe]

A firefighter died at the scene later in the day. A worker at the company is still listed as missing. But considering the magnitude of the event, the explosions went on for 50 minutes, it could have been much worse. The City of Toronto implemented its disaster evacuation procedures which kept the chaos under control.

[ibsteve2u]

I feel sorry for 'em - and probably us, too - come winter...as if prices were not high enough.

[wndrwrthg]

Ooooh! Aaaah! Wow!
Bummer for the people though.

[jerrypenguin]

I recently viewed the "last analog," science fiction film, BLADE RUNNER. The overview of the city seems similar to that provided by Sunrise Propane Industrial Gases.

Here is the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9F0bwZXdeY&feature=related

The last two seconds of the trailer provides the city overview. It seems that we are at tomorrow.

[davidvcar]

One cannot help but note the irony (and self-fulfilling prophesy) of the name of the company responsible for the accident: "Sunrise Propane Industrial Gases" ...

[darthdarcy]

Propane is the most volatile gas known to man...

I once proposed using frozen balls of propane as part of a space based anti ballistic missile system..

I called them snow balls from hell..!

[Synoia]

"Propane is the most volatile gas known to man"

And this is measured how? Or do you mean at STP? Ever played with acetlyene? That triple carbon bond contains 50 times more energy than propane's single carbon bond..

"I once proposed using frozen balls of propane as part of a space based"

From where did you plan on getting the oxygen? Or was this a snowball based anti-missle system?

[realityczech4u]

You do great Google.

[wolfgangmo]

Bwahahahahaha.

Synoia - good post.

Propane is NOT the most volatile gas know to man. It may be the most volatile gas know to the trailer park, but to man ... no.

Just be thankful that it was a propane storage facility and not a natural gas facility. The fireball would be been much bigger and hotter.

[darthdarcy]

The gases were to be mixed prior to firing or releasing the stream of these frozen gas balls....frozen condensed while being exposed to the cold of space as well as detonator integrated into the snow ball before release..

[jfor]

apparently you have never met my dog.

[JackND]

Another triumph for the NIMBY sentiment.