Veteran firefighters have described the situation at Grenfell as "unprecedented." They are entirely correct, of course: what happened last night was very, very unusual.

The same adjectives would be used if a fire were to occur at a handful of major sites in Toronto. In each case we have a large, multi-storey facility built next to at least one high-pressure pipeline carrying flammable liquids. Since these pipelines operate at pressures in excess of 1,000 psi, a release next to any of these buildings would present an emergency of the highest order.
If a release were followed by ignition, Toronto could see a situation very much like Grenfell or Megantic... an inferno that would make headlines around the world.

Ontario has very sensible prohibitions against development near "human-made hazards" such as transmission pipelines. The Province (TSSA) has a 200 metre setback requirement for buildings that would be difficult to evacuate.

None of this has stopped the City from continuing [TBC]