The head of Toronto Fire Services says his crews are taking steps to break down a large ice sculpture downtown that’s teasing a new album by Drake in response to “multiple complaints and concerns for public safety.”
In a statement released late Tuesday, Chief Jim Jessop and other officials said the service responded to “public fire safety concerns related to unsafe conditions” involving the sculpture at a private parking lot at Bond Street and Dundas Street East Tuesday evening.
“Large numbers of individuals have gathered to attempt to melt the ice using flammable liquids and open flames in an uncontrolled environment, which results in an immediate threat to life,” Jessop wrote.
“As Toronto’s Fire Chief, my top priority is keeping Torontonians safe. As a result, we are initiating measures under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act to mitigate the risk to public safety.”
A spokesperson for Toronto Fire Services told 680 NewsRadio Toronto there are multiple options to address the safety concerns, but didn’t provide specific measures.
While at the scene early Wednesday, CityNews captured video of a Toronto Fire Services aerial truck pouring a continuous stream of water over the ice sculpture while police officers and crews blocked off nearby access to onlookers. Water could be seen pooling on Dundas Street East.
On Monday, Drake took to Instagram to share images of the glacial installation along with its downtown coordinates. He captioned it, “Release date inside.”
Toronto police officers were called to the area around 11:05 p.m. on Monday after receiving reports that people were on top of the 25-foot-tall ice sculpture and refused to come down, creating issues with crowd and traffic control.
Representatives said people were breaking off chunks of the ice with pickaxes and hammers before throwing the tools. A fire was also set on top of the structure.
As large pieces of the ice began falling, officers said it created a dangerous situation for people on the ground as well as those who climbed the structure.
While at the sculpture Tuesday afternoon, a Twitch streamer used a sledgehammer to break the ice sculpture.
The streamer, who goes by the name Kishka, pulled out a vacuum-sealed bag with multiple items inside. Along with a book and the album’s release date of May 15, the bag also contained a large amount of $100 Canadian-dollar bills.
Drake has been teasing the album for some time. It will be his first solo effort since his feud with Kendrick Lamar, which peaked in the spring of 2024 with the latter’s diss track Not Like Us.
With files from CityNews’ Meredith Bond and Patricia D’Cunha, and The Canadian Press
A statement by Toronto Fire Services Chief Jim Jessop said there were ‘dangerous and unsafe activities’ happening at the ice sculpture. Local
The head of Toronto Fire Services says his crews are taking steps to break down a large ice sculpture downtown that’s teasing a new album by Drake in response to “multiple complaints and concerns for public safety.”
In a statement released late Tuesday, Chief Jim Jessop and other officials said the service responded to “public fire safety concerns related to unsafe conditions” involving the sculpture at a private parking lot at Bond Street and Dundas Street East Tuesday evening.
“Large numbers of individuals have gathered to attempt to melt the ice using flammable liquids and open flames in an uncontrolled environment, which results in an immediate threat to life,” Jessop wrote.
“As Toronto’s Fire Chief, my top priority is keeping Torontonians safe. As a result, we are initiating measures under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act to mitigate the risk to public safety.”
A spokesperson for Toronto Fire Services told 680 NewsRadio Toronto there are multiple options to address the safety concerns, but didn’t provide specific measures.
While at the scene early Wednesday, CityNews captured video of a Toronto Fire Services aerial truck pouring a continuous stream of water over the ice sculpture while police officers and crews blocked off nearby access to onlookers. Water could be seen pooling on Dundas Street East.
On Monday, Drake took to Instagram to share images of the glacial installation along with its downtown coordinates. He captioned it, “Release date inside.”
Toronto police officers were called to the area around 11:05 p.m. on Monday after receiving reports that people were on top of the 25-foot-tall ice sculpture and refused to come down, creating issues with crowd and traffic control.
Representatives said people were breaking off chunks of the ice with pickaxes and hammers before throwing the tools. A fire was also set on top of the structure.
As large pieces of the ice began falling, officers said it created a dangerous situation for people on the ground as well as those who climbed the structure.
While at the sculpture Tuesday afternoon, a Twitch streamer used a sledgehammer to break the ice sculpture.
The streamer, who goes by the name Kishka, pulled out a vacuum-sealed bag with multiple items inside. Along with a book and the album’s release date of May 15, the bag also contained a large amount of $100 Canadian-dollar bills.
Drake has been teasing the album for some time. It will be his first solo effort since his feud with Kendrick Lamar, which peaked in the spring of 2024 with the latter’s diss track Not Like Us.
With files from CityNews’ Meredith Bond and Patricia D’Cunha, and The Canadian Press
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