Fire crews say a blaze is under control after an explosion at a Scarborough autobody shop overnight Thursday.
Toronto Fire said they were called to the shop near Midland and Lawrence avenues just before 4 a.m. A security guard was on scene and witnessed the first explosion.
Firefighters arrived on scene to visible flames and a strong smell of gasoline. Fire said the back of the building was compromised but that in-house sprinkler system was able to contain the blaze to inside the building.
The fire was deemed under control by 5:20 a.m.
While the cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, Ward 21 Coun. Michael Thompson told Global News that he is concerned about having auto body shops close to residential areas because of the possibility for incidents like this.
“We often have pressures from people in the automotive sector and asking us to allow them to put auto repair facilities close to residential properties and so on, and we are always, always against that because of the potential problem for safety,” said Coun. Thompson.
No injuries have been reported but fire said they have not been able to get into the building to do a search.
The investigation is ongoing.