Fire at CN Tower May Affect Toronto Broadcasts

TORONTO—A fire broke out in the early hours of Wednesday morning inside the broadcasting antenna at the CN Tower in Toronto, but has been extinguished by the Toronto Fire Department. However, over-the-air television feeds and radio channels may be affected by the antenna outage.

The fire began around 4:15 a.m. in the morning. Around 30 firefighters responded to the scene. Though the cause of the fire is not yet known, Toronto Fire District Chief Stephan Powell was quoted by CBC News as saying that one of the conduits that feed the various antenna feeds may have started to smoulder or burn.

No injuries were reported.

The antenna atop CN Tower is above the lookout and restaurant levels, consists of 44 pieces and is 102 meters high, per the tower’s website. One cable within the antenna was reported down, though it is not clear at the time of the report which broadcaster was affected by the outage. The mast was de-energized and the power shut off to the antenna to prevent the risk of other wiring catching fire.

The antenna is responsible for broadcasting more than 30 television and FM radio signals across southern Ontario.