TORONTO -- Powerful winds wreaked havoc in southern and central Ontario Friday evening, leaving thousands of people without power, causing flight disruptions and claiming the life of at least one person.
Wind gusts of close to 120 km/h were observed in the wake of a cold front that moved across the province, Environment Canada said.
The weather agency issued warnings for the region, but said winds were expected to ease.
The powerful wind gusts peeled a large section of metal roofing from the Shelburne Home Hardware.
Shelburne police had to close a section of County Road 124 north of Highway 89 due to flying debris.
"There was metal and different things coming across the highway so until the wind slows down enough that we can be sure nothing else is going to come across the highway it will be closed," said Sgt. Paul Neumann.
In the Barrie area, the strong winds peeled away shingles, uprooted trees and knocked down power lines.
Emergency responders have all hands on deck answering calls dispatch centres.
The heavy demand has forced the Innisfil fire department to dispatch calls out of station 2.
"We've become so busy and we're turning our trucks over so fast that we have taken over our dispatch from Barrie fire. We use it as a back up when things get really busy," said deputy fire chief Tim McCallum. "Around 4:30 this afternoon the wind started and we've been running non stop."
The high winds also destroyed the soccer dome in Aurora. York Regional Police say people were inside the dome when the storm hit, but everyone was able to get out in time.
Police west of Toronto said a tree fell on two men in Milton, killing one and injuring the other.
"They were working on tree servicing, and as they were doing that, the wind picked up and a tree fell on the two individuals," Staff Sgt. Jeff Foster with Halton regional police said.
He said a 28-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and a 18-year-old man was rushed to a Hamilton hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Foster said the Ministry of Labour is investigating.
Meanwhile, Pearson International Airport suspended operations for about two hours due to the extreme winds. The airport lifted its "ground stop" by about 8 p.m., but warned travellers of continued delays.
Hydro One said more than 180,000 customers were without power, adding that all available crews were responding to outages.
"Our priority right now is to respond to emergencies and start repairing main lines so that we can get the largest numbers of customers restored as quickly and safely as possible," CEO Greg Kiraly said in an online statement.
In Milton, the winds downed 12 hydro poles, leaving some 10,000 customers without power. Toronto Hydro said 30,000 of its customers have been affected.
Police forces across the region said they are responding to many calls of downed wires, poles and trees, resulting in multiple road closures.
Peel regional police said a tree came frighteningly close to striking a school bus in Mississauga.
Police said 72 children between the ages of seven and 10 were on the bus at the time, but there were no reports of injuries.
- With files from The Canadian Press
