Thousands forced from homes after Toronto blasts

Toronto: A series of explosions at a propane facility in northern Toronto sent balls of flame soaring into the sky and forced thousands of people from their homes on Sunday.

Only minor injuries were reported but there were no clues about the cause of the predawn blasts.

With a number of fires still burning at the round-the-clock facility, police asked people within a one-mile (1.6-km) radius to leave their homes, fearful that two railcars of propane could still explode.

"We are asking people to leave their homes," police official Neil Corrigan told a news conference. "We are asking people to take medication, take any pets you may have in your home - anything that you require for today."

He said thousands of people, some of them elderly, lived in the area northwest of the city centre.