Raccoon Blamed for Power Outage That Left Downtown Toronto in the Dark

A hydro tower is seen with the CN Tower as a backdrop in downtown Toronto Monday Nov. 11, 2002. Kevin Frayer /CP PHOTO

A raccoon appears to be responsible for the power outage that left Toronto’s downtown core in the dark for several hours last night.

Hydro One said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that a raccoon “made contact” with equipment at a downtown Toronto station and that its crews worked with Toronto Hydro to restore power. The raccoon’s condition was not specified.

Toronto Hydro’s outage map indicated the outage started at approximately 7:40 p.m. The power interruption impacted customers from St. Clair Avenue West to Gerrard Street West and Avenue Road to the Don Valley Parkway, Toronto Hydro said in a post on X.

“We’re working closely with Hydro One to restore power and resolve the issue as quickly and safely as possible,” the utility company said in a Feb. 1 post just before 9 p.m. “We appreciate your patience at this time.”

Buildings, street lights, traffic lights, and transit services were all impacted by the outage causing drivers to inch carefully through the darkened downtown section while commuters negotiated the darkened subway platforms with the aid of emergency lights.

TTC subway service on Line 1 was impacted by the power outage, with no service available between Union and Bloor-Yonge.

“Customers can utilize University side to continue Northbound,” the TTC said in a post on X prior to power being restored.

Toronto fire crews were also kept busy during the outage.

“Our crews are responding to a higher number of elevator rescues in these areas. Consider using stairs where power is out,” Toronto Fires Services said in a Feb. 1 post on X.  “Be mindful of fire safety as Hydro works to restore power.”

While a Toronto Hydro spokesperson said about 7,000 customers were left without power, some city residents disputed that, insisting the outage was much larger.

Some city residents also shared pictures and videos of what the outage looked like.

“Crazy moment. Power outage in downtown Toronto. Everyone putting up their phone lights. Vibes,” one person posted on X.

“No signal lights working, pedestrians and drivers are cooperating,” another post on X said. “Huge Power outage at downtown Toronto. So funny that a racoon did all this.”

Hydro One reported power was fully restored by 10:30 p.m. despite earlier estimates that the power would be out all night.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.