charlene
03-03-2007, 10:36 AM
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_8402.aspx
Section Of Front Street Declared Off Limits Because Of Ice Hazard
Friday March 2, 2007
"It's like shrapnel."
That's how one police officer describes what happened downtown Friday, as large chunks of ice began falling onto the streets from high-rises in the core.
Among the places shedding the load - the CN Tower. (Click here to see raw video of it.)
The problem became so acute and so dangerous in the afternoon that police were forced to seal off a large area of Front St. between John and York, over fear that someone might get seriously injured by the shattering shards.
At least one taxi sustained damage when a large piece of the frozen water fell from a building at high speed.
It doesn't appear anyone was hurt but the impact was enough to signal the alert.
Yellow police tape went up in the area and cops strictly enforced the off-limits perimeter, shooing away those who tried to get close to the scene.
"Our concern right now in the downtown core is the high-rise towers," explains Supt. Hugh Ferguson. "There are sheets of ice falling off the towers as the temperature warms up. Some of these sheets have been quite large and it's actually two concerns.
"You could be struck with the ice as it falls, and just as serious when the ice hits the ground it shatters and it's like shrapnel."
A tourist from Victoria was staying at the Intercontinental Hotel when he saw the amazing cascade.
"We were on the 25th floor this morning and all of a sudden we heard something hitting the window on the way down, and we looked out, and there were big sheets of ice coming off the CN Tower," remembers Harold McNeill.
"And you could see where it's peeling off the restaurant. A whole sheet would come off at a time and then fly toward the Intercontinental Hotel and it made a good crash ... There was about a four by four piece came off the one window."
Gil Delmendo works as a parking attendant in the area.
"I heard the bang sound," he recalls. "When I looked at the cars, all the back windows are all smashed up."
An Intercontinental Hotel spokesman, who could be seen roaming the area dressed in a hard hat, reveals similar head gear is being doled out to people staying at the inn.
"Just out of safety concern for the pedestrians who have been coming back and forth from the hotel and our hotel guests, providing them hard hats and escorting them to and from the building and to sheltered areas of other buildings to avoid them getting hit by the ice," outlines Michael Allan.
Colleague Susan Bailey agrees they have to do something to make sure nothing happens to their patrons.
"If can't walk around in our city and our hotel without having the best safety and security, then we're not doing our jobs properly," she attests.
Neither was able to say for sure if the chunk of ice that led to the closure of the street came from the hotel or the CN Tower, but both structures had been shedding large shards of ice for hours.
The off limits order involved some good news/bad news for those in the area. It's not far from Union Station, which is normally jammed packed during a Friday rush hour. And many people use Front St. to get there.
But because of the bad weather, some workers didn't go to their jobs on Friday, making what could have been a difficult afternoon rush a lot better. Cops were recommending anyone trying to get by the area use the underground pathway.
It's the latest fallout from the storm that hit the city with a major punch more than 24 hours ago.
Freezing rain that fell overnight left a coating of ice on buildings, trees and power lines. Warming temperatures have since led to much of that frosting coming off and landing all over.
Power problems continue for some 80,000 people, while others are being warned about the excess water on sidewalks and city streets.
And it could get worse - temperatures in the evening and on the weekend will turn colder, ending the immediate threat downtown but leaving much of what's left turning back into solid ice. And that presents an entirely new problem.
Section Of Front Street Declared Off Limits Because Of Ice Hazard
Friday March 2, 2007
"It's like shrapnel."
That's how one police officer describes what happened downtown Friday, as large chunks of ice began falling onto the streets from high-rises in the core.
Among the places shedding the load - the CN Tower. (Click here to see raw video of it.)
The problem became so acute and so dangerous in the afternoon that police were forced to seal off a large area of Front St. between John and York, over fear that someone might get seriously injured by the shattering shards.
At least one taxi sustained damage when a large piece of the frozen water fell from a building at high speed.
It doesn't appear anyone was hurt but the impact was enough to signal the alert.
Yellow police tape went up in the area and cops strictly enforced the off-limits perimeter, shooing away those who tried to get close to the scene.
"Our concern right now in the downtown core is the high-rise towers," explains Supt. Hugh Ferguson. "There are sheets of ice falling off the towers as the temperature warms up. Some of these sheets have been quite large and it's actually two concerns.
"You could be struck with the ice as it falls, and just as serious when the ice hits the ground it shatters and it's like shrapnel."
A tourist from Victoria was staying at the Intercontinental Hotel when he saw the amazing cascade.
"We were on the 25th floor this morning and all of a sudden we heard something hitting the window on the way down, and we looked out, and there were big sheets of ice coming off the CN Tower," remembers Harold McNeill.
"And you could see where it's peeling off the restaurant. A whole sheet would come off at a time and then fly toward the Intercontinental Hotel and it made a good crash ... There was about a four by four piece came off the one window."
Gil Delmendo works as a parking attendant in the area.
"I heard the bang sound," he recalls. "When I looked at the cars, all the back windows are all smashed up."
An Intercontinental Hotel spokesman, who could be seen roaming the area dressed in a hard hat, reveals similar head gear is being doled out to people staying at the inn.
"Just out of safety concern for the pedestrians who have been coming back and forth from the hotel and our hotel guests, providing them hard hats and escorting them to and from the building and to sheltered areas of other buildings to avoid them getting hit by the ice," outlines Michael Allan.
Colleague Susan Bailey agrees they have to do something to make sure nothing happens to their patrons.
"If can't walk around in our city and our hotel without having the best safety and security, then we're not doing our jobs properly," she attests.
Neither was able to say for sure if the chunk of ice that led to the closure of the street came from the hotel or the CN Tower, but both structures had been shedding large shards of ice for hours.
The off limits order involved some good news/bad news for those in the area. It's not far from Union Station, which is normally jammed packed during a Friday rush hour. And many people use Front St. to get there.
But because of the bad weather, some workers didn't go to their jobs on Friday, making what could have been a difficult afternoon rush a lot better. Cops were recommending anyone trying to get by the area use the underground pathway.
It's the latest fallout from the storm that hit the city with a major punch more than 24 hours ago.
Freezing rain that fell overnight left a coating of ice on buildings, trees and power lines. Warming temperatures have since led to much of that frosting coming off and landing all over.
Power problems continue for some 80,000 people, while others are being warned about the excess water on sidewalks and city streets.
And it could get worse - temperatures in the evening and on the weekend will turn colder, ending the immediate threat downtown but leaving much of what's left turning back into solid ice. And that presents an entirely new problem.