Blaze Breaks Out At York U

An apparent accident sparked a two-alarm blaze at York University Saturday morning that sent plumes of black smoke billowing into the air.

Police say some roofing materials caught fire as workers were tarring the roof of the university’s chemistry building just after 10:30am. There were fears that propane tanks might start exploding, but the flames were doused before that could happen.

“Apparently it was a bystander that saw flames coming from the roof. My understanding is that a roofing company was there tarring the roof and I guess the tar got out of control and started a fire,” Toronto Police Acting Staff Sergeant Steve Tedford explained.

Firefighters made quick work of the blaze and crews are now working on cleaning up the mess. Tedford said there’s no concern about chemicals in the air around campus.

“My understanding, it’s just a tar chemical that you’d smell anywhere else when a roof is being tarred and there’s no concern for safety from the fuming,” he said.

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