Neighbours in disbelief after north Regina explosion

REGINA – Some Regina residents in the city’s north west are trying to wrap their heads around a scary situation that played out in their neighborhood Tuesday night.

Fire crews were called to Cooper Crescent around 7 p.m after an explosion ravaged a duplex and sent three men to hospital.

Sherry Fisher lives across the street and said she and her aunt were having tea when they felt the house shake.

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“It sounded like a big boom,” she explained.  “The windows were rattling and we looked at each other and said, ‘Oh my God!’ ”

Another neighbor, Colleen Selinger, said the blast was followed by thick smoke that covered the neighborhood.

“I looked out the window and I could see nothing except smoke it was like unbelievable,” she said.  “As soon as I opened the door it started piling into the house and got into my throat, it was pretty scary.”

When the fire department arrived Tuesday night, flames were coming from the basement. The blast was strong enough to blow the main floor’s window into the yard.

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SaskEnergy spokesperson Dave Burdeniuk said crews were quickly able to rule out any leaks.

“We did an extensive safety sweep both above ground and below ground and found no indications of a natural gas leak,” he said.

Fire crews and police remained on scene Wednesday morning investigating the circumstances surrounding the blast.

“Our part of it is to investigate other circumstances to determine if there’s a criminal aspect to the case,” said Elizabeth Popowich, a Regina Police spokesperson.

Three men were injured in the blast including a 35-year-old and 19-year-old who remain in hospital in serious condition.

A 28-year-old man was also taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Two people in the neighbouring unit were home at the time of the explosion, but were uninjured.