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Police tape demarking a crime scene.JOHN LEHMANN/The Globe and Mail

A construction worker is recovering after a close call in downtown Toronto.

The man was inside a truck's cherry picker when it struck live streetcar wires just after 5 a.m. Tuesday at Victoria and Dundas Streets – sparking a massive flash.

The worker had to crouch inside the scorched bucket to keep away from the wires while waiting to be rescued.

Security camera footage from a nearby building showed the flash and sparks flying after the bucket touched the live lines, and people on the sidewalk could be seen jumping away as the area lit up.

Firefighters and paramedics rushed to the scene, but they had to wait until power was shut off before the man could be rescued safely.

The worker was taken away in an ambulance and is expected to be okay.

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