Downtown Toronto outage hits 2,000 customers after fire

A significant power outage struck downtown Toronto on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, affecting a wide swath of the city's financial district and core. The disruption began just before noon and was caused by a fire at the Terauley Transmission Station near Bay and Dundas Streets.

At its peak, the outage impacted up to 2,000 customers, a figure that includes large office towers, hospitals, academic institutions, and shops. Utility companies Toronto Hydro and Hydro One reported that power was restored to many customers throughout the afternoon, though more than 400 remained without service hours later. Officials stated they did not have a confirmed time for full restoration as crews worked to clear the site and assess damage.

The outage caused immediate disruptions across the city. Toronto Metropolitan University evacuated staff and students from its downtown campus due to the failure of fire detection and sprinkler systems. A hearing at the Ontario Securities Commission was briefly interrupted, and the Ontario Ombudsman's office closed for the day. The Toronto Eaton Centre also lost power, though service was later restored to that location.

Critical services were affected but maintained...