[H3]Explosion rocks a Toronto Tim Hortons, kills one[/H3] [P class=timeStamp]Updated Sun. Apr. 2 2006 6:22 PM ET
[P class=storyAttributes] [SCRIPT language=DOH!script type=text/XXXXscript] var byString = ""; var sourceString = "CTV.ca News Staff"; if ((sourceString != "") && (byString != "")) ( document.write(byString + ", "); ) else ( document.write(byString); ) [/SCRIPT] CTV.ca News Staff
A man is dead and one of Toronto's busiest downtown intersections is closed after an explosion ripped through a Tim Hortons coffee shop Sunday afternoon.
The blast occurred in the washroom of the coffee shop, located near the intersection of Yonge and Bloor Streets, just after 1 p.m.
Emergency crews responded to the scene and tried to help the victim. He is not an employee of the restaurant and his identity is not known. No other injuries were reported.
Fire department spokesman Daryl Fuglerud said the man had burns to his body, but a fire did not break out in the building after the blast.
"There was a very small amount of smoke upon our arrival ... It doesn't appear that we can see much of a fire at all," Fuglerud said.
Witnesses describe a scene of panic inside the restaurant after the explosion.
"A lot of people screaming and screaming," one young woman said.
"As soon as we heard (the) bang, everybody run away," witness George Ribera said.
Police cordoned off approximately one city block and evacuated the area as a precaution.
"We're taking all precautions for members of the public as you can imagine," Toronto Police officer Nick Memme said.
Police are investigating the cause of the explosion. Memme said it is too early in their probe to draw conclusions.
"It's very early on in the investigation," Memme said.
"As I've stated we're just holding our pattern until various other support units come into the area and again, look at the safety aspect and we will continue the investigation."
Early news reports said a man was seen going into the washroom with explosives strapped to his chest. Police would not confirm the reports.
Toronto's police chief, Bill Blair, declined to discuss the possibility of a bomb. He called the blast "an intense flash fire in the washroom."
Employees and witnesses were questioned near the coffee shop about what they had seen.
Several hours after the explosion, employees were escorted away in a group by Tim Hortons District Manager Amin Islam.
The employees appeared shaken by their experience, but Islam said they were doing well.
"I'm just making sure they're going home safely," he said.
Islam said he learned of the blast from radio news reports and immediately rushed to the scene to see what he could do.
The police bomb squad worked at the scene for much of the afternoon.
They used a remote controlled bomb disposal robot to detonate a black bag found across the street from the coffee shop. Afterwards police said there was nothing in the bag.
Yonge Street was shut down in both directions between Yorkville and Bloor, reportedly tying up traffic around one of the city's busiest intersections.
There is no word yet on what caused the blast. Once police declare the scene to be safe the fire marshal's office will begin an investigation.
Later Sunday, another Tim Hortons outlet in Toronto was locked down after a suspicious package was found inside the restaurant, just a few subway stations north of where the explosion occurred.
Few details were immediately available, but police confirmed an emergency task force unit had been dispatched to the second location and the area had been evacuated.
[img height=120 alt="One man died in the explosion at a Tim Hortons restaurant in downtown Toronto." src="http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20060402/160_explosion4_060402.jpg" width=160 border=0]
One man died in the explosion at a Tim Hortons restaurant in downtown Toronto.
[img height=120 alt="Police cordoned off approximately one city block and evacuated the area as a precaution." src="http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20060402/160_explosion_police_060402.jpg" width=160 border=0]
Police cordoned off approximately one city block and evacuated the area as a precaution.
[img height=120 alt="The blast occurred in the washroom of the Tim Hortons at Yonge and Bloor Streets, just after 1 p.m." src="http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20060402/160_explosion_060402.jpg" width=160 border=0]
The blast occurred in the washroom of the Tim Hortons at Yonge and Bloor Streets, just after 1 p.m.
