One firefighter has serious injuries after a blaze broke out on Thamesgate Dr. early Wednesday morning in Mississauga, according to Peel Regional Police.

Initially, he had been transferred to St. Michael’s Hospital in critical condition from a Mississauga hospital, however his injuries are no longer considered life-threatening.

Three other members of the Mississauga fire department are also in hospital, in stable condition.

Three of the four firefighters were injured when the wall of a burning storage facility near Airport Rd. and Steeles Ave. E. collapsed in an explosion. The fourth suffered smoke inhalation.

The warehouse contained imported goods and it is believed that the explosions were caused by butane lighters and aerosol cans of bug spray that were stored in the building, said Const. Thomas Ruttan. It is not yet clear what other items were stored in the building located at 2797 Thamesgate Dr.

“You know, most of the times, whatever is burning can be dealt with quickly by first responding crews. This was something terribly different,” said Mark Train, president of the Mississauga Firefighters Association.

“There will definitely be a lot more investigation into why things happened the way they did.”

Mississauga fire deputy Chief Greg Laing echoed Train’s comments in a Wednesday afternoon news conference, explaining just how unusual the fire had been. It “went from a building and contents fire emitting smoke to an instantaneous destruction of the entire building, which we normally only associate with an explosive device that would do something like that,” he said.

At the height of the fire, thick black smoke and small explosions were reported rising from the building.

Laing went on to say that “There are ways that you store products, and if you don’t store them in that way…” He then trailed off and said the investigation is underway to determine the fire’s cause.

“The building is severely damaged. A number of spot fires remain underneath- you can see the areas where the roof has collapsed on, there are little pieces of red still remaining. A lot of fire crews are engaged in trying to get water to these hot spots,” said union president Train. All the water now being used to drown the persistent flames is spraying from a distance, either from trucks or from aerial towers.

Train explained that the union has sent staff members to check in with the four who were hospitalized.

“The three that were involved in the blast have broken bones and the other types of injuries that happen when you are in an explosion. Two remain in hospital in Brampton, and one was transported to Toronto.”

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Although smoke inhalation — which sent the fourth firefighter to hospital — sounds minor in comparison to broken bones, Train said it can be quite serious. “It’s the fact that there are a lot of unknown chemicals, and although it may not be as immediately noticeable, some of those products are bad.”

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Police said they are no longer concerned about the toxicity of the smoke.

Flights at Pearson International Airport were not affected by the fire.

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