page_title: CN Tower
section_title: Safety features
hierarchical_section_title: CN Tower / Structure / Safety features
caption_attribution_description: English: 360-degree panorama of Toronto, Canada, as seen from the CN Tower, altitude 447 m (1,465 ft). Circa 2000. Deutsch: 360-Grad-Panorama von Toronto, Blick vom CN Tower in 447 m Höhe. Svenska: Panorama över Toronto, Kanada, från CN Tower, 447 m höjd. Français&#160;: Vue panoramique 360 degrés sur Toronto (Canada) de la Tour CN, à une altitude de 447 m. Español: Vista panorámica 360 grados sobre Toronto (Canadá), desde la Torre CN, a una altitud de 447 m. Русский: Круговая панорама Торонто (Канада), вид с CN Tower, с высоты 447 м.
context_page_description: The CN Tower is a 553.3 m-high concrete communications and observation tower located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built on the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976. Its name "CN" originally referred to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower. Following the railway's decision to divest non-core freight railway assets prior to the company's privatization in 1995, it transferred the tower to the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation responsible for real estate development.
  The CN Tower held the record for the world's tallest free-standing structure for 32 years until 2007 when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa, and was the world's tallest tower until 2009 when it was surpassed by the Canton Tower. It is now the ninth tallest free-standing structure in the world and remains the tallest free-standing structure on land in the Western Hemisphere. In 1995, the CN Tower was declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. It also belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers.
  It is a signature icon of Toronto's skyline and attracts more than two million international visitors annually.
context_section_description: In August 2000, a fire broke out at the Ostankino Tower in Moscow killing three people and causing extensive damage. The fire was blamed on poor maintenance and outdated equipment. The failure of the fire-suppression systems and the lack of proper equipment for firefighters allowed the fire to destroy most of the interior and spark fears the tower might even collapse.
  The Ostankino Tower was completed nine years before the CN Tower and is only 13 m (43 ft) shorter. The parallels between the towers led to some concern that the CN Tower could be at risk of a similar tragedy. However, Canadian officials subsequently stated that it is "highly unlikely" that a similar disaster could occur at the CN Tower, as it has important safeguards that were not present in the Ostankino Tower. Specifically, officials cited:
  the fireproof building materials used in the tower's construction,
  frequent and stringent safety inspections,
  an extensive sprinkler system,
  a 24-hour emergency monitoring operation,
  two 68,160-litre (15,000-imperial gallon; 18,006-US gallon) water reservoirs at the top, which are automatically replenished,
  a fire hose at the base of the structure capable of sending 2725 litres (600 imperial gallons; 720 US Gallon) a minute to any location in the tower,
  a ban on natural gas appliances anywhere in the tower (including the restaurant in the main pod),
  an elevator that can be used during a fire as it runs up the outside of the building and can be powered by three emergency generators at the base of the structure (unlike the elevator at the Ostankino Tower, which malfunctioned).
  Officials also noted that the CN Tower has an excellent safety record, although there was an electrical fire in the antennae on August 16, 2017 — the tower's first fire. Moreover, other supertall structures built between 1967 and 1976 — such as the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), the World Trade Center (until its destruction on September 11, 2001), the Fernsehturm Berlin, the Aon Center, 875 North Michigan Avenue (formerly the John Hancock Center), and First Canadian Place — also have excellent safety records, which suggests that the Ostankino Tower accident was a rare safety failure, and that the likelihood of similar events occurring at other supertall structures is extremely low.
caption: Panoramic view from the CN Tower. The Toronto Islands and the island airport on Lake Ontario are visible on the left side of the image while buildings of Toronto's Financial District are visible on the right.
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