Explosion at Tim Hortons

[tomahawk6]

The recent arrests may have disrupted other similar events.

 

[Trinity]

GUYS

speculation breeds fear......

lets just wait for a reliable source.

 

[monika]

On 680's 19:00 newscast they said police are calling it "a flash fire." Sorry no link as it is not on 680's web site yet.

 

[army outfitters]

On the other hand lets think about this for a second. One it was just last week that Timies offered an IPO and it was publicized that they are a US owned company now. Second Tangos getting arrested in Newmarket. Does this not leave you to think that maybe the bigger picture is something is finally happening here in the big CA and that we are a very easy target. I don't claim to know everything but this only makes sense to me.

 

[George Wallace]

On 680's 19:00 newscast they said police are calling it "a flash fire." Sorry no link as it is not on 680's web site yet.

So it could have easily been some idiot, in a No Smoking area, lighting up a smoke where there was .......say a gas leak; blowing up the washroom as a result of his need for a nicotine fix?

 

[monika]

So it could have easily been some idiot, in a No Smoking area, lighting up a smoke where there was .......say a gas leak; blowing up the washroom as a result of his need for a nicotine fix?

I'm certain all the Combat Engs would have a better idea than little ol' me, but that could be in line with the reported "whoosh" sound people in the Tim's heard.

 

[Kat Stevens]

"whooshes" and "thumps" are usually indicative of a low explosive detonation, eg black powder, ditching dynamite, volatile gasses.  A high explosive detonation is usually indicated by a sharp "crack".... for use as a rough guide, only... >

 

[vonGarvin]

So it could have easily been some idiot, in a No Smoking area, lighting up a smoke where there was .......say a gas leak; blowing up the washroom as a result of his need for a nicotine fix?

Could be, but pure speculation. I did think of some goofus sitting on the john, lighting a smoke and then dropping the match into the toilet detonating his very own toxic fumes into a flash flame.  Having said that, given the nice weather depicted on the telly, methinks a smoker in the boys room is probably not the case.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

"whooshes" and "thumps" are usually indicative of a low explosive detonation, eg black powder, ditching dynamite, volatile gasses. 

Kinda like you'd get freebasing with ether : Would also explain the burns to the body a la Richard Pryor. Need for privacy.......hmmm.

 

[Armymedic]

Could be, but pure speculation. I did think of some goofus sitting on the john, lighting a smoke and then dropping the match into the toilet detonating his very own toxic fumes into a flash flame. 

"Mythbusters", on Discovery Channel:

Myth of flaming match lighting own toxic fumes into flash flame.... busted!

 

[orange.paint]

And there you all have it.A man with a gas can.
Maybe the FLQ is back and running ;D

 

[FredDaHead]

And there you all have it.A man with a gas can.
Maybe the FLQ is back and running ;D

I know I'm not one of the most tasteful people around, but I'd say this is a bit... tasteless. It's no big deal and I'm not terribly offended, I'd just appreciate if you could avoid joking about the FLQ and terrorism in general.

Feel free to flame me, now.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Your going to need a thicker skin as you progress

 

[orange.paint]

As recceguy said,better get use to joking pretty soon you'll have 20 years punched and joking is all that will keep you going.

No terrorism here just a demented man with a gas can.Anyone can become a terrorist,for a cause or just because.Something to keep in mind.

 

[the 48th regulator]

I know I'm not one of the most tasteful people around, but I'd say this is a bit... tasteless. It's no big deal and I'm not terribly offended, I'd just appreciate if you could avoid joking about the FLQ and terrorism in general.

Feel free to flame me, now.

Lost the reason why you find it tasteless, were you a fan of the FLQ?

feel free to flame me.

dileas

tess

 

[Franko]

Well here it is.....

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060402/tim_hortons_060402/20060402?hub=TopStories

Gas can blamed for Tim Hortons explosion

Updated Sun. Apr. 2 2006 8:03 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A small can of gasoline is being blamed for an explosion that rocked a downtown Toronto Tim Hortons, claiming one man's life and causing the evacuation of a city block Sunday afternoon.

The blast occurred in the washroom of the coffee shop, located near the intersection of Yonge and Bloor Streets, just after 1 p.m.

Emergency crews responded to the scene and unsuccessfully tried to revive the victim.

He is not an employee of the restaurant and his identity is not known. No other injuries were reported.

Fire department spokesman Daryl Fuglerud said the man had burns to his body, but a fire did not break out in the building after the blast.

Early Sunday evening, police said an unidentified man went into the coffee shop's washroom carrying a gasoline container.

According to police, another man smelled gasoline fumes and ran out, yelling. A few moments later the blast occurred.

Investigators do not know what ignited the gasoline or what the deceased man's motives were. Suspicion is focusing on either suicide or arson. They say he was definitely not a terrorist.

"He's not a strap-on al-Qaida bomber guy," Toronto Police Staff Sgt. Don Cole said Sunday evening. "It sounds to me like a guy who either wanted to do a torch job or commit suicide."

Scene of panic

Witnesses described a scene of panic inside the restaurant after the explosion.

"A lot of people screaming and screaming," one young woman said.

"As soon as we heard (the) bang, everybody run away," witness George Ribera said.

Police cordoned off approximately one city block and evacuated the area as a precaution.

"We're taking all precautions for members of the public as you can imagine," Toronto Police officer Nick Memme said.

Employees and witnesses were questioned by police near the coffee shop about what they had seen.

Several hours after the explosion, employees were escorted away in a group by Tim Hortons District Manager Amin Islam.

The employees appeared shaken by their experience, but Islam said they were doing well.

"I'm just making sure they're going home safely," he said.

Islam said he learned of the blast from radio news reports and immediately rushed to the scene to see what he could do.

Bomb worries

Early news reports said a man was seen going into the washroom with explosives strapped to his chest. Police would not confirm the reports.

Toronto's police chief, Bill Blair, declined to discuss the possibility of a bomb.

He described the blast as "a very hot and intense fire in an enclosed area within the washroom."

The police bomb squad worked at the scene for much of the afternoon.

At about 4 p.m. they used a remote controlled bomb disposal robot to detonate a black bag found across the street from the coffee shop.

"(Police) dealt with it by exploding the package on the street," Blair said.

The bag apparently contained a clock that was not ticking when it was detonated.

Officers in white hazardous-materials suits were seen entering and leaving the store, but it was not clear whether a dangerous substance had been identified.

There is no word yet on what caused the gasoline to ignite. Once police declare the scene to be safe the fire marshal's office will begin an investigation.

Later Sunday, another Tim Hortons outlet in Toronto was locked down after a suspicious package was found inside the restaurant, just a few subway stations north of where the explosion occurred.

Police confirmed an emergency task force unit had been dispatched to the second location and the area around the shop had been evacuated.

"There was a call by the people that worked at Tim Hortons doughnuts that a package had been left by a customer and they just were concerned about it, given what had transpired," Blair said.

With files from CTV's John Musselman and The Canadian Press

 

[zipperhead_cop]

Ah, well.  Just another nut job.  To be honest, I was really hoping it would be a terrorist.  It would be the best case scenario possible--lone a$$hat accidentally kills himself while preparing to take out a bunch of innocents on the Sabbath.  The only dead person would be the one who deserved it, and Canadians would have a great heads up about the amount of terrorism that exists in this country.  Now everyone can go back to thinking "That only happens in America".  Too bad for the rest of us. 
I wonder if so many of us reacted so strongly, so quickly, because we all know that our 9-11 will come.  Probably sooner than later.  I know I'm waiting for that shoe to drop.... :-\

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Are you kidding.
The lefties would be saying that we got hit because wer are there and need to pull out NOW!

 

[zipperhead_cop]

Are you kidding.
The lefties would be saying that we got hit because wer are there and need to pull out NOW!

Lefties will do anything to get their craniums back to the comfortable, familiar place it usually resides in, the rectum. 
We will get hit when it suits the terrorists.  I'm betting Hamas or Hezbolla commits the violence here first, rather than an Al Qaeda sponsored group.  We are costing the Palestinian terror machine a few bucks by cutting them off.

 

[GO!!!]

Ah, well.  Just another nut job.  To be honest, I was really hoping it would be a terrorist.  It would be the best case scenario possible--lone a$$hat accidentally kills himself while preparing to take out a bunch of innocents on the Sabbath.  The only dead person would be the one who deserved it, and Canadians would have a great heads up about the amount of terrorism that exists in this country.  Now everyone can go back to thinking "That only happens in America".  Too bad for the rest of us. 
I wonder if so many of us reacted so strongly, so quickly, because we all know that our 9-11 will come.  Probably sooner than later.  I know I'm waiting for that shoe to drop.... :-\

+ 1 to all.

All we need is a nice, ineffective terror attack like this one in a few cities to get the public onto a war footing - where they should have been after 9-11.

We need to be vigilant before someone kills alot of us - it is going to happen.