A flashover explosion inside a hydro vault early Saturday morning sent two workers to hospital and left hundreds of customers around the Port Lands area without power for hours, according to Toronto Fire.
Toronto Fire said crews received the call at about 12:55 a.m. to a hydro vault in the Lake Shore Boulevard and Don Roadway area, where light smoke and haze could be seen coming from the vault.
Paramedics said two men were taken to hospital — one suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while the other sustained minor injuries.
In a statement, Toronto Hydro confirmed that two contractors completing work for a third party were injured in an incident in its “cable chamber.”
“We are still gathering details, however, the site has been secured,” Toronto Hydro spokesperson Lauren Harris said.
“Our thoughts go out to the individuals and their families and our focus remains on ensuring that crews and the public are safe. We are grateful to the first responders for their quick response and care.”
Harris added that the Ministry of Labour is investigating the incident.
As a result of the explosion, there was a power outage affecting between 500 to 1,000 customers in the Front and Jarvis Street area, as well as those in the Don Roadway area.
Just before 4:30 p.m., Toronto Hydro posted on its social media page that power had been restored to all affected customers.