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Explosion causes ‘major structural damage’ to central Edmonton home

Edmonton fire crews were called to a house explosion in the area of 112 Avenue and 91 Street Monday, July 20, 2020. Wes Rosa, Global News

A house near Commonwealth Stadium sustained major structural damage after an explosion early Monday morning.

Edmonton police were on patrol in the area of 114 Avenue and 92 Street when they were flagged down by a person who notified them of an explosion at a nearby house.

When officers arrived, they called in Edmonton Fire Rescue Services who said its crews were called at 3:52 a.m. to the home in the area of 112 Avenue and 91 Street.

Fire crews arrived on scene four minutes later to find smoke and “major structural damage” to the home, including an exterior wall, a spokesperson with EFRS said Monday. There was no fire.

Brianna Vere has lived in the area for about seven years and said the explosion shook the entire house.

“We were dead asleep of course and just woken up by a large noise,” she said.

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She had no idea what it was at first, so ran outside to see what was going on. She said heard people coming out of the house yelling about an explosion. She also saw smoke billowing out of the top of the house.

“No flames but I definitely noticed that the door and the deck leading to the top suite in the back were handing off of the house,” she said.

Vere ran back inside and asked her husband to call 911 but said police were already on scene.

“I was really asleep when it happened so it was like being shook out of a dream,” she said.

“The fact that it shook our house, that was the thing that got me… It was a noise that woke us and the house shook. It was an eventful morning.”

Firefighters and police remained on scene late Monday morning, waiting for a structural engineer to inspect the property to determine if it is safe to enter the home.

One single-family home next to the affected house was evacuated as a precaution on Monday morning, according to police.

The wall of a home in the area of 112 Avenue and 91 Street appeared to be damaged after an explosion Monday, July 20, 2020. Wes Rosa, Global News

Edmonton police said one person was treated on scene for minor injuries.

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The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined, police said in an update around 10:45 a.m.

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