Toronto blackout almost disrupts dinner in honor of British Queen
A fire at a transformer station left almost 240,000 people without power in Canada`s largest city of Toronto, and threatened to disrupt a state dinner planned by the Canadian government for Queen Elizabeth II.
The royal visit to Canada was to mark the country`s 143rd birthday.
The fire at the Hydro One transformer station occurred at approximately 16:42 local time on Monday (20:42 GMT), leaving large swaths of the city in the dark, the Canadian Press reported. The accident was apparently caused by extreme heat.
The lights also went out in the Royal York Hotel, where Prince Philip was about to present the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, a program that encourages youth to participate in community service.
The emergency power turned on shortly after, and Prince Philip presented the award in a dimly lit hall.
The blackout threatened to disrupt a state dinner for 380 persons, including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, but power supply to the hotel resumed just before the event was about to begin.
Power was fully restored by 20:30 local time (00:30 GMT Tuesday).
The queen will head to New York on Tuesday to visit the site of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and address the United Nations General Assembly for the first time since 1957.
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