(Watch above: A fatality inquiry into a deadly north Edmonton house explosion is shedding light on the cause and the people involved. Laurel Gregory reports.)
EDMONTON — Four people were found dead in June 2010 following a massive house explosion in a north Edmonton neighbourhood.
On Monday, a fatality inquiry into the blast began.
Police already determined that Dwayne Poirier, 46, strangled his common-law wife Cathie Heard, 47, in their Lago Lindo home, then the house exploded.
Heard’s father was answering questions at the inquiry late Monday morning.
“I just didn’t have a good feeling about the guy when I first met him,” said George Robinson. “I can’t put a real reason to that other than it was just a gut feeling.”
“I suggested to her to get out of the relationship before she got hurt.”
“I said that because we just see and hear enough of relationships where there’s abuse… Where the verbal abuse just goes on to violence,” Robinson added.
He said Heard was verbally abused and berated in front of her children. She had three kids.
(Global’s Laurel Gregory is at the inquiry. You can follow her coverage in the live blog below.)
Robinson said he thought his daughter “felt cornered” and that she felt she had “no place to go” at that point.
“She was out here. I was out in B.C. We didn’t get to see each other a lot.”
The 2010 explosion was so intense it destroyed a lot of the evidence and the ignition source is undetermined.
The blast turned what was once Poirier and Heard’s home into a crater and took out chunks of neighbouring houses.
Two men who lived next door — Craig Huber, 29, and Brad Winter, 26 — were also killed by the explosion.
The men’s mothers plan on being present for the entire fatality inquiry.
“I just need to know,” said Debbie Winter.
“His death was part of his life, and I need to know everything I can.”
“We’re trying to move on,” said Winter. “For me, I’ll never actually move on. I’ll never get over it. I’ll never have closure over it, never.”
Brad’s mother said the inquiry process would help her. Craig’s mother had a different motivation for attending.
“My son had a daughter, and I feel that I have to do this for her,” said Donna Huber.
“I just don’t understand how something like this can even happen. It’s just really heartbreaking for her.”
“It’s something I’ll never get over.”
Poirier’s death was determined to be non-criminal. The medical examiner determined he died from smoke inhalation.
The three other deaths were deemed homicides.
Police have said they don’t know if Poirier intended to kill himself in the blast.
Retired fire investigator Les Holzman said Monday the natural gas line at the house was tampered with and that there were numerous potential sources of ignition.
Holzman said a cap had been deliberately removed from a pocket in the natural gas line, allowing gas to seep into the house. He said he suspects Poirier was trying to gas himself and go to sleep.
On Tuesday, homicide detective Dan Collins said he wouldn’t speculate on whether Poirier committed a murder-suicide or if his own death was accidental.
Collins said there were no police calls to the Poirier/Heard home for family violence between May 2009 and date of the June 2010 explosion.
The explosion caused an estimated $3.5 million in damage to 40 properties.
Fatality inquiries do not lay blame, but seek to make recommendations to avoid similar deaths in the future.
“I don’t know that this inquiry is going to come up with any solutions that will stop, or even reduce, the amount of spousal abuse,” said Robinson.
“I would like to think that this could be the answer, but unfortunately I don’t think it is.”
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