A hydro vault fire outside of a high-rise in downtown Toronto that caused underground explosions and sent dark smoke into the air was so intense it will be at least six months before the building reopens.
Toronto emergency crews was called to 20 King St. W., near Bay Street, during the height of rush hour on May 1. People in the building had to be evacuated as a result of the fire.
READ MORE: King St. in Toronto’s financial district reopens after hydro vault fire
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), a tenant of the building, told Global News Tuesday night the fire caused “significant” building damage.
“Based on the environmental assessments and remediation work which is required, we have been advised that it will be a minimum of six months before our employees can return to the building,” RBC spokesperson Catherine Hudon wrote in a statememt.
“The safety and security of our employees is our top priority and all of our affected employees have been relocated to other locations.”
READ MORE: Hydro vault fire in downtown Toronto to blame for heavy smoke, underground explosions
Toronto Hydro crews were called in to investigate the cause of the fire and crews replaced an underground transformer last week.
Global News contacted Toronto Hydro to ask for an update on the investigation Tuesday night, but officials were unavailable for comment.