The explosions that rocked Toronto early Sunday morning sent a record-breaking number of viewers to CP24, which says it clocked in just over two million viewers after alarmed residents woke up to see a series of massive and mysterious fireballs climb into the pre-dawn sky.

It was the largest reach in the CTV-owned channel’s history. CP24 was one of the first to report on the disaster, noting on its news ticker shortly after 4 am that a series of explosions had occurred in the city’s north end at what was thought to be an oil refinery. The blasts – at what turned out to be a propane facility – led to the evacuation of thousands and a shutdown of Highway 401 for most of the day.

Full coverage started at about 5 am, with the channel pulling reporters in from vacation and staying with the story for 15 hours straight, led by anchor Ann Rohmer.

‘Our viewers and those directly impacted by the explosion were involved in all aspects of our coverage,’ says channel VP/GM Bob McLaughlin. ‘They told us what we needed to know and our reporters worked hard delivering all the news as soon as it was available.’

From Playback Daily