Crews working through the night to restore power at Toronto City Hall

TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2014 /CNW/ - City of Toronto and Toronto Hydro crews are working around the clock to complete electrical repairs and restore power to Toronto City Hall, which was closed this afternoon due to a fire in a hydro vault in the building's basement. Toronto Hydro anticipates that power will be restored by early tomorrow and the building will reopen to public and staff.

Members of the public are advised to call 311 and to check media reports for updates before heading to City Hall to visit or conduct business.  The City apologizes for any service disruptions or delays and thanks the public for their patience.

City staff and others who work in the City Hall building are advised to report to work as usual and to stay in touch with their supervisor or manager for updates and further direction.  The Hester How Daycare in the building will be closed and parents are asked to make other arrangements for their children.

The electrical fire, which was quickly brought under control by Toronto Fire Services, resulted in the early closure of the building and the evacuation of approximately 1500 staff and others. Two staff working in the electrical room were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

SOURCE: City of Toronto

Media contact:  Wynna Brown, Strategic Communications, 416-919-6503, [email protected]