The office of the Ontario Fire Marshal and Mississauga Fire are looking to determine what caused an explosion at a mixed commercial and residential building early Sunday morning.
Police and fire crews were called to the area of Dundas and Hurontario streets at 7:30 a.m.
“It was a substantial explosion,” said Mississauga fire chief Tim Beckett.
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The north end of the building collapsed and the blast caused damage to apartments and businesses across the street.
Residents living in the building were evacuated.
Zohaib Basar, a nearby resident, said when the explosion happened, his apartment windows shattered.
“It was all on my bed and in my bedroom. I looked outside. I couldn’t see much but when I looked across the street the building was gone,” Basar said.
“I’m extremely shocked. Things like this don’t happen.”
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When Peel police and Mississauga Fire arrived at the scene of the explosion, three people were located on the roof of the building.
“We did a ladder operation rescue to pluck them off that roof and bring them down to safety where they were assessed by Peel paramedics,” Beckett said.
One man had serious, non-life-threatening injuries and a woman and child both sustained minor injuries, but Beckett said all three are recovering well.
Two other people were assessed by paramedics but released at the scene.
Beckett said it is too early to determine what caused the blast and Peel Regional Police are looking into whether the explosion is suspicious in nature.
“We know we had an explosion,” he said.
“Whether it was a gas explosion or what type of explosion occurred, it’s way too early to tell.”
The Mississauga Fire chief estimates 50 people have been displaced because of the explosion and they have been directed to Mississauga Valley Community Centre to take shelter until it’s deemed safe for them to return to their home.
“We are working to keep them warm, get information and make sure they are fed,” Beckett said.
“Building officials are going to come onsite and they are going to do an assessment damage of that building and until we have that assessment damage, I can’t determine if it is structural or if it’s just superficial, we need to close up the windows.”
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