The elderly man who was rescued from his collapsed home in Central Hamilton has now been charged.
Tuesday afternoon’s explosion obliterated the main floor of the two-storey home on Gibson Avenue and forced the evacuation of neighbouring homes.
The owner of the home, Murdoch Campbell, 76, has been charged with arson.
Campbell was recovered from the rubble by emergency crews Tuesday afternoon and is recovering in hospital. Family members say he lived alone in the home following the recent death of his wife. Campbell’s dog was also rescued, coaxed from the debris hours later.
At its peak, as many as 300 homes were without natural gas. Union Gas says its crews are working to restore service to all homes that had their gas turned off after the explosion.
The Hamilton police arson unit and the Ontario Fire Marshall’s office conducted the investigation.