Toronto police say vehicles were racing before one vehicle, a Mercedes, lost control, causing a fiery multi-vehicle collision on the Gardiner Expressway on Thursday night.
Police said the crash happened around 7:30 p.m. on the eastbound lanes of the expressway near Fort York Boulevard.
Two Mercedes vehicles with Quebec licence plates “were racing and caused (a) collision,” police initially said.
In an update on Friday morning, police told Global News multiple witnesses called 911 reporting that up to four vehicles were racing on the expressway “however this is one of many aspects that are still presently under investigation.”
One of the vehicles, a Mercedes, lost control and struck an unrelated vehicle from behind causing two other vehicles to be struck, police said.
The Mercedes caught on fire, investigators said. Images and videos from the scene show a car engulfed in flames with thick heavy smoke.
In total, police said four vehicles were involved in the crash.
Four people were taken to hospital with minor injuries, paramedics told Global News on Thursday night. However, police said in their update on Friday morning two people reported minor injuries and were taken to hospital as a precaution, while a third was assessed at the scene and released.
No arrests have yet been made and no suspect description has been released. However, police said people fled on foot.
“Due to the varying witness accounts, we can’t confirm if the Mercedes had just the driver, or another occupant, however it appears that the occupant(s) were last seen fleeing the scene eastbound in another motor vehicle,” police said in their latest update on the investigation.
The roads have since reopened.