Hamilton rocked by 2 suspected home explosions, 3 people hospitalized

Two suspected home explosions that sparked multi-alarm fires in Hamilton Thursday morning have sent three people to hospital and have resulted in significant damage to the affected homes, according to firefighters.

Hamilton Fire Chief David Cunliffe told reporters Thursday afternoon that fire crews are investigating both incidents, and the Office of the Fire Marshall was on scene to determine the cause of the explosions. The two blasts are not linked, he said.

The first explosion occurred just after 7:30 a.m. at 182 Springside Drive on Hamilton Mountain. Cunliffe said a garage exploded, causing the house to collapse on itself and a fire was sparked.

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A victim, who was in the garage at the time of the blast, suffered serious burns and was taken to hospital in serious condition, he said.

The explosion was felt at three fire stations across the city, said Cunliffe.

“People were calling from all over, it was a very significant blast,” he said.

Two neighbouring homes have also been significantly damaged, said Cunliffe, but no one else in that area has been injured. One of those homes had the blast travel through the kitchen and the debris field in the whole area is “very significant,” he said.

Then around 9 a.m., across town in Hamilton’s east end, another suspected home explosion happened at 8 Lampton Place. Cunliffe said a structure was “fully involved” when crews arrived and the fire was significant enough to send a large plume of smoke into the sky.

Neighbours rescued two residents who were inside the house while it was on fire, he said. One resident was sent to hospital in serious condition with burns and the other was sent in stable condition, also with burns.

One adjacent home was damaged by the fire. Cunliffe said there are some reports that neighbours were smelling gas prior to the explosion, but the cause is still being determined.

Damage to the home is valued at around $750,000, he said. The cause of each incident is under investigation.