More Residents Allowed Home After Propane Blast
Posted August 18, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A week after a devastating propane explosion drove his family from their home on Murray Road, Brian Bittles was finally allowed back in on Monday. His home was one of two (57 and 63, Murray Road) that were deemed safe for re-entry, but as he soon discovered, the magnitude of the damage made any prospects of moving back in a timely fashion highly unlikely.
It also made him realize it was a miracle that no one was killed.
“This was our living room,” he notes, surveying the shattered glass and crumbled dry wall. “All the glass shards in the wall, you can see like bullets hit that wall. My kids played Rock Band here and stuff. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it.”
“Could you ever believe this could happen to someone in Toronto ?” he asks.
“Maybe in another country, you know, third world or something, but Toronto? It’s terrible to be me right now.
“But I got out alive with my wife and kids, it’s only a house, right? It can be rebuilt. That’s what my wife keeps telling me. We’re alive. That’s all that matters.”
Not long after Bittles toured his shattered home, Acting Deputy Mayor Shelley Carroll addressed the media at an afternoon press conference, updating CityNews on the ongoing clean up efforts.
“Crews started Saturday afternoon and to date, we have completely cleaned 128 properties, as well as the two acre park site and also the community daycare centre and community centre beside it,” she said.
“We’ve completed Plewes Road, Spalding and Katherine Road from Murray over to Garratt.”
“In the coming days, crews will be moving east and will also make sure properties outside of this area don’t have debris. By mid-week, we expect to be able to release publicly a true idea of the time it’s going to take to do this and certainly the cost.”
She also tried to calm rampant fears about asbestos.
“We also want people to know a little bit about air quality testing. In the last couple of days, we’ve been able to test the inside of 12 houses…and so far, all of the tests have come back well within, and sometimes well below, the usual natural levels of asbestos in the atmosphere for interiors of homes.”
Premier Dalton McGuinty also toured the explosion site on Sunday after returning from China, where he was promoting the province’s bid for the 2015 Pan Am Games.
“Being there, seeing the windows blown out and the garage doors blown off and the roofs torn away. You know, I mean … just through the grace of God this happened at 4:00 in the morning.”
“It raises some important questions and we’ve got responsibility to answer those, including taking a look at the Technical Standards Safety Association , asking ourselves whether the standards are adequate enough, and I think there are kind of two aspects of this. One is what’s the likelihood of something going wrong? It could be infinitesimal, but there’s another issue. If it does go wrong, what’s the danger associated with that? I think we’ve got to look at both of those things to make sure that we find out what’s going on throughout the province and they’ll be taking appropriate steps.”
The premier also offered to help the families had who had to flee their homes but said he couldn’t be more specific at this point.
Tips From Toronto Police To Returning Residents:
Walk through your home to ensure there are no safety concerns. Secure your home as best you can. If you have any concerns or difficulties securing your home, contact police at 416-808-2222.
If you locate anything thought to be from the explosion, don’t handle it. Call Toronto Fire Debris and Substance at 416-338-9001.
Residents are reminded to check perishable foods. When in doubt, throw it out.
Toronto Public Health has a fact sheet for information on health issues, or call (416) 338-7600.
Health Canada Asbestos Information or call 1-866-225-0709.
Canada Post can be reached at 416-979-8822. Residents affected by the explosion will have to attend 2800 Keele Street to pick up their mail.
Residents with any insurance-related questions are asked to call their insurance provider or the Insurance Bureau of Canada at 416-362-9528 .
To read City of Toronto’s air quality reports for the area around the explosion site, click here.
Sunrise Propane Explosion: One Week Later
Sunrise Propane Explosion: A Look Back
