Hydro explosion leaves two workers injured, customers without power for almost 24-hours

Power has been restored following a flashover explosion inside a hydro vault early Saturday morning that left hundreds of Toronto Hydro customers in the Distillery District without power for almost 24-hours and sent two workers to the hospital.

Toronto Fire said crews received a 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 that spanned all of Saturday.

Power was restored in the area overnight.

"Crews are on site working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power to all affected customers," Toronto Hydro wrote on about the outage to social media.

"We know it's difficult for those without power and truly appreciate everyone's patience."