The explosions that rocked Toronto early Sunday morning sent a record-breaking number of viewers to CP24, which says it clocked in just over two million viewers, the largest reach in the news channel’s history, after alarmed residents woke up to see a series of massive and mysterious fireballs climb into the pre-dawn sky.

The CTV-owned channel was one of the first to report on the disaster, noting on its news ticker shortly after 4 a.m. that a series of explosions had gone off in the city’s north end, at what was thought to be an oil refinery. The blasts — at what turned out to be a propane facility — led to the evacuation of thousands and the shutdown of a stretch of Highway 401 for most of the day. Full coverage started at about 5 a.m.

The channel pulled reporters in from vacation and stayed with the story for 15 hours straight, led by anchor Anne Rohmer.

‘Our viewers and those directly impacted by the explosion were intimately involved in all aspects of our coverage. They told us what we needed to know and our reporters worked hard delivering all the news as soon as it was available,’ said channel VP and GM Bob McLaughlin in a release.