A woman is in the hospital after she burst into flames at a subway station in Toronto’s West End.
Toronto Transit Commission Chief Executive Officer Rick Leary said the agency was “shocked by today’s attack on Kipling Station.”
“We are contemplating a full recovery for the victim,” Leary said in a statement.
Toronto police say they were called to Kipling Avenue and West Dundas Street around 12:30 p.m. to report an attack on a woman.
Police told CBC News that the man poured a liquid substance on the woman and set it on fire, causing her serious injuries.
The woman was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital. Nothing is known about her current condition.
The man has since been arrested.
Friday’s incident comes on the heels of two other well-known attacks at Toronto subway stations. In April, international student Kartik Vasudev was killed in a shooting near Sherbourne metro station. That same month, a 39-year-old woman narrowly avoided being hit by a train after she was pushed onto the tracks from a subway platform at Bloor-Yonge subway station.
Late last month, a man was robbed and beaten near Dundas metro station. Christian Garcia told CBC News this week that he is calling for increased security and personnel at TTC stops.
- A man who was robbed and beaten near a metro station demands increased security at TTK stops
“I know that incidents like this worry our customers and I share that concern,” Leary said in a statement Friday. “Every year we move hundreds of millions of customers without incident, but we can’t and don’t take it for granted.”
The statement goes on to say that the TTC has several security measures in place, including special constables who patrol the system, cameras and alarms at all stations and vehicles, and a SafeTTC app for reporting suspicious incidents.
Leary says the agency is also recruiting new special constables and upgrading precincts to add more cameras and recruit more officers to help curb crime.
The union representing Toronto transport workers also issued a statement saying it was “horrified” by the incident and thanked the public transport commuters and passengers who rushed to the woman’s aid.
Underground service from Kipling to Islington stations was suspended while the police investigated.
- Toronto police have arrested a woman who was pushed onto the subway tracks at Bloor Yonge station.
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