Firefighters and public health officials went door-to-door Saturday in the northwest neighbourhood ravaged by the Sunrise Propane explosion, advising residents of what to expect from the cleanup efforts.
On Saturday, machines collected air samples from neighbourhood streets, while workers in Hazmat suits combed a local schoolyard for flakes of asbestos and other debris.
Similar crews will continue their work on Sunday.
One resident was told the roof, walls, garage, and even the lawn, would be inspected and cleaned.
"I think they said four or five hours of work, starting from the top of the house, working their way down," local homeowner Jeff Green told CTV Toronto.
Late Friday, the city took charge of cleaning up about 500 properties that were damaged by the blast and subsequent fire last Sunday.
Deputy Mayor Shelley Carroll told a news conference that the province issued a clean-up order to the company on Aug. 13.
However, the company wasn't meeting the order's requirements, and so the city decided to act under the cleanup powers granted it by the Environmental Protection Act.
"We had hoped the operator would comply with the (Ministry of the Environment) order and clean up the exterior of the properties," Carroll said. "At this time, it's critical for the city to do whatever is necessary so that these residents can resume some sense of normalcy in their neighbourhood after this traumatic event."
Many residents were not home for this morning's visits. They were attending the funeral of a neighbour, 51-year-old Patrizia Laconte, who died of a heart attack a few hours after she was allowed to return to her home on Wednesday.
However, those that were home were appreciative of the cleanup effort.
"They're doing such a wonderful job," resident Dianne Green told CTV Toronto. "You know, we have to be proud of what's happening here."
On Friday, some homeowners closest to the facility were finally allowed to return to visit their devastated homes.
Virtually all of the thousands of people who had to leave their homes last Sunday have returned, but seven dwellings have been deemed uninhabitable.
Officials estimate damage to be in the tens of millions of dollars. A class action lawsuit is in the works.
With a report by CTV Toronto's Brad Giffen and files from The Canadian Press
