ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

Powell dialed 911 twice butÌýcouldn’t reach an operator.

“The whole time I’m thinking, ‘hopefully there’s nobody stuck in a car,’” he said.

On Wednesday morning, while watching the news, Powell learned someone had died.

The driver of one of the vehicles, a 68-year-old man, was pronounced dead on scene, according to ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ police. Four other people were taken to hospital with serious injuries, while two more were treated by paramedics at the scene.

“It’s devastating,” Powell said, knowing he witnessed someone’s final moments alive.

The crash happened around 5:35 p.m. on the Gardiner near Lower Jarvis Street, police said.

“Information at this time indicated that several vehicles were on fire and individuals were possibly trapped in the vehicles,” Insp. Phil Sinclair told reporters in an update Tuesday evening.

He said investigators are looking at “all factors” while reconstructing the scene and trying to figure out what happened. The collision is “fairly unusual” considering the heavy traffic on the roadway when it occurred, he said, calling it a “very, very tragic situation.”

Videos taken by residents in the area show flames billowing from the car flipped on its side against the highway median, sandwiched between a red vehicle and what appears to be a pickup truck. Two more cars are beside the pileup, feet away. The airbags in each vehicle are activated and debris is strewn across the pavement.

At least five people can be seen in the frame, hovering around the cars as the fire spreads from one car to the next.

In another video, one person can be seen atop the red car before getting up and distancing themselves from the blaze. The dark smoke could be seen from several kilometres away.

Caroline Wannas also watched the scene unfold from her balcony at a nearby condo building. She said the person sprawled out on the car appeared as though they were trying to help someone trapped inside another vehicle.

“I think it’s pretty admirable that someone was trying to help,” she said in an interview on Wednesday. The reality of what she witnessed hasn’t fully kicked in.

She could barely sleep on Tuesday night, and when she did, she said she dreamt about the crash. “I do feel a bit traumatized, to be honest.”

Andrea Yau was in her condo building near the highway when she was alerted to the crash. She said she heard “multiple bangs in rapid succession,” but thought it may be from construction nearby.

Minutes later, she went to her balcony and discovered that wasn’t the case. “There was a huge fire,” she said, describing the plumes of black smoke.

By then, police were already on scene, followed by the first fire truck. Eventually, multiple firefighters arrived. “They put out the fire pretty quick, but it was massive,” Yau said.

Watching the scene unfold, she couldn’t help but think, “somebody is probably very injured, or somebody’s not coming home for dinner tonight,” she said.

“I think that really haunts me.”

Wannas said she doesn’t drive, but learning how to was on her to-do list — to make getting to work easier. Now, after Tuesday’s crash, she’s having second thoughts.

“Seeing that definitely scares me,” she said.

While the circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation, Yau said she wanted to remind motorists to be cautious on roads and highways.

“Drive safely. Everyone needs to get home.”