{"id":621106,"date":"2026-04-22T13:33:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/621106\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T13:33:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:33:10","slug":"toronto-fire-hoses-down-massive-ice-blocks-promoting-drake-album-citing-public-safety-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/621106\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto Fire hoses down massive ice blocks promoting Drake album, citing public safety concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Toronto Fire crews are hosing down and trying to melt a massive formation of ice blocks installed by Drake to promote his upcoming album. <\/p>\n

It comes after some Torontonians took extreme measures<\/a>, such as starting fires atop the ice or using pickaxes to break it apart, in an attempt to discover the release date of the rapper’s long-awaited “Iceman” album. <\/p>\n

In the interest of public safety, Fire Chief Jim Jessop issued a statement Tuesday evening that he was initiating measures under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act due to “dangerous and unsafe activities.”<\/p>\n

“As Toronto\u2019s Fire Chief, my top priority is keeping Torontonians safe,” he said. “Large numbers of individuals [had] gathered to attempt to melt the ice using flammable liquids, and open flames in an uncontrolled environment which results in an immediate threat to life.”<\/p>\n

A Toronto Fire unit responded to requests by police around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and assessed the best way to bring the structure down, Capt. Alex Vashkevich told CBC News Wednesday morning. <\/p>\n

An aerial firetruck has been at the scene since 2:51 a.m., spraying the blocks with warm water, he said. <\/p>\n

\"TorontoDrake confirmed that his new album would arrive on May 15, after a streamer found a hidden folder in the ice on Tuesday. (Paul Smith\/CBC)<\/p>\n

The structure, which was 16 blocks high on Tuesday, remains intact with one side slowly melting as crews continue to douse it with water Wednesday morning. <\/p>\n

On Monday, the rapper took to Instagram to share images of the glacial installation along with coordinates to its location and the caption: “Release date inside.”<\/p>\n

A streamer who goes by Kishka appeared to have found a blue folder hidden within one of the ice blocks Tuesday afternoon, revealing the album is set to drop on May 15. Drake confirmed the date on his social media<\/a> Tuesday evening. <\/p>\n

WATCH | Torontonians gathered around Drake’s ice block installation:\"\"<\/p>\n

Drake\u2019s ice block stunt creates fan chaos in downtown Toronto<\/p>\n

Toronto police were called to manage chaotic crowds at Drake\u2019s latest publicity stunt, a large pile of ice blocks in downtown Toronto that held the release date of his next album.’Disappointing’ to see sculpture come down: designer<\/p>\n

While the work by fire crews is appreciated, it’s “disappointing” to see the structure come down earlier than planned, said Michael Gingerich, owner of Mawg Design. <\/p>\n

Drake’s team reached out to the Toronto-based company with “a big vision” to engineer and design a stable structure, he said on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning Wednesday.<\/p>\n

“We’re sad that we won’t be able to ride it through as originally intended,” said Gingerich, adding that a lot of work went into considering the safety of the structure. <\/p>\n

“We wanted the fans to be able to enjoy it for as long as possible.”<\/p>\n

The sculpture was made up of a few thousand blocks of Canadian ice from a company in Hensall, Ont., with each block measuring about 50 centimetres by 101 centimetres by 25 centimetres, he said.<\/p>\n

\"closeupThe sculpture was composed of thousands of blocks of ice from a company in Hensall, Ontario, said Michael Gingerich, owner of Mawg Designs, which collaborated with Drake’s team to create the installation. (Paul Smith\/CBC)<\/p>\n

He said they never anticipated as large of a turnout of fans, or that some people would show up with pickaxes and blowtorches.<\/p>\n

“The intention was to make a statement. This is a big moment for Toronto, this is a big moment for Drake … and all the fans,” said Gingerich. “But it was great to see a great turnout, maybe a bit more than we anticipated.”<\/p>\n

A few Toronto residents trekked out early Wednesday morning to take in the blocks of ice as crews continued to hose it down. <\/p>\n

“It was worth it. Definitely had to see it while it was here,” said Drake fan Amelia Whatman, who arrived early in the morning with her mother Casandra Harding-Whatman to take sunrise photos with the structure. <\/p>\n

Harding-Whatman says she suspects there’s some surprises still hidden in the ice. She said they’re planning to come back and check on the sculpture later in the day. <\/p>\n

“Something is still in the ice. There must be at the very, very bottom,” she said. <\/p>\n

Gingerich said people will have “to wait and see” if anything else will be discovered in the melting ice. <\/p>\n