A six alarm fire has been raging in the southeast end of Toronto for the last few hours. 54 fire trucks have been deployed to fight a blazing fire that has engulfed the whole building that is billowing smoke over the area. @KarstenSchool twittered “There were ashes the size of cellphones raining down outside my show tonight, way over on Esplanade.”
Explosions were heard by nearby residences just before 1:00 a.m. this morning. Fire services were called to 242 Cherry St., known as the Cherry Street Transfer Station. It is listed as a solid waste station operated by GFL Green For Live Environmental.
According to GFL’s website, “GFL Environmental Inc. is a leading North American provider of diversified environmental solutions. Recognized by our signature fleet of well-maintained, bright-green trucks, we offer a robust, consolidated and sophisticated approach to meeting our customers’ environmental service requirements.” GLF also states that they are “the only major diversified environmental services company in North America offering services in solid waste management, liquid waste management and soil remediation.”
GFL is quite sizable with a network of more than 140 facilities across Canada and in Michigan and more than 4,000 employees, providing local service to more than 2.5 million households under municipal contracts and to more than 80,000 industrial, commercial and institutional customers.
The founder, President and Chief Executive officer of GFL is Patrick Dovigi, a Canadian former hockey goalkeeper, entrepreneur, businessman (Source: Wikipedia)
It is not known at this time what is being released into the air and how dangerous it is to breathe in. If you live in the area, it might be a good idea to head out to Scarborough or farther out to get some fresher air. If you work in the area, you might want to consider working from home. If you’re a manager or business owner in the are, you might want to consider the risks and liabilities of having your employees breathing in that air.
We anticipate a statement from GFL sometime today and hope that they will address concerns regarding the impact of the fire on the area and any potential dangers.