Pole fire in Toronto’s downtown core leaves thousands without power

Toronto Hydro says a squirrel is to blame for a transformer fire that left thousands of customers without power in the city’s downtown core.

A spokesperson for Toronto Fire told CP24 that a transformer pole caught fire near George Street and King Street East, resulting in a power outage in the surrounding area. Toronto Hydro estimated that about 6,500 customers were without power for hours before service was fully restored at around 1:30 p.m.

Toronto Hydro confirmed that a squirrel came into contact with the transformer, causing the fire and subsequent outage.