The best-attended show in town Wednesday was on York street in front of the CN tower where crowds gathered to watch smoke billowing from a fire in underground electrical cables servicing the building. A series of explosions jolted the area, sending manhole covers dancing and causing a downtown blackout and a gigantic traffic jam.
(by Sam Macleod of the London free press)
An underground electrical fire in cables which service the CN tower triggered a series of mini-explosions and popping manhole covers late Wednesday afternoon that sent ripples of panic rolling down York Street.
The PUC cut off power to the core of the city as firemen and PUC workers spilled over the street battling of virtual unseen fire that puffed grey and yellow smoke.
What caused the explosions and power cuts was still not establishment, according to George Reynolds, superintendent of the building.
The power was off for about one hour and four minutes – leaving at least four people trapped in elevators.
One fireman was overcome by smoke as he battled the blaze in the CN’s baseman power room.
Stores closed early., Covent Garden Market did business as usual on candle power, and traffic was in a gargantuan snarl.
Joseph Michalski, a part-time parking attendant at the lot across from tower, said “everything just started popping – it kept popping, I thought it was an earthquake when the booth started to shake.”
“We saw all these people in the tower running to the windows and then about 5 minutes later, the streets were filled with people.”
Bob Kuglar, the buildings maintenance man, was working in the boiler room to top the 10th floor. He said he felt the building shake. He and other maintenance worker, Jeff Bolton, raced down the stairs. The elevators were already dead. One held three trapped CN employees.
Electrical room in the basement – a room about as large as the foyer of the CN tower “red hot and sparking” Kuglar said. The door can only be open with a key and they slammed it shut.
Full of delete that it in flames broke out later in the basement was thick with acrid smoke.
Fireman Chris Merrison of 101 Selkirk street was hauled choking from the basement by other fireman, treated for smoke inhalation Victoria Hospital and released.
