Toronto Theater Wall Falls; Several Hurt

A wall of a Toronto theater that was being demolished collapsed Monday and hit a school next door, trapping some people inside and injuring others.

Authorities said it was too soon to tell if anyone was killed in the incident at the historic Uptown Theater and Yorkville English Academy, which teaches English mostly to adults and teenagers.

“We have people in the rubble,” said Toronto Fire Chief Bill Stewart, adding that five construction workers in the theater were among those treated for injuries.

“It’s going to take an immense amount of time to get into the rubble and shore it up,” Stewart said.

Police Chief Julian Fantino said “the situation is precarious at best and dangerous for the rescue operation people.”

He said the busy nature of the site’s downtown location made it difficult to determine exactly how many people may have been caught in the collapse.

“My daughter called me right after it happened and said the roof had collapsed,” said Helen Wanger, a parent of a student who was injured.

Toronto city councilor Kyle Rae said the building’s owner had visited the site Sunday and expressed “concerns over safety problems.” Rae did not elaborate.

No other information was immediately available.

The Uptown Theater, which opened in 1920 as a movie theater and a live stage show venue, is considered a historic site and was the subject of an unsuccessful campaign to stop its demolition.