UPDATE: SaskEnergy infrastructure, clandestine lab ruled out as cause of fatal Saskatoon house blast
Jerry Schnurr said he can still see and hear the blast.
He lives across the street from house on Clarence Avenue South that exploded early Saturday morning.
“I was making some coffee and waiting for (the newspaper) to arrive,” he told Global News, “looking directly across the street when I saw the house just lift in the air and explode.”
Saskatoon police released details about the person who died in the explosion on Clarence Avenue South early Saturday morning.
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In a statement issued Monday, the Saskatoon Police Service said a 59-year-old man — the resident — was killed in the blast.
Police also said they do not suspect foul play but are not releasing his name.
Schnurr told Global News he doesn’t know much about his neighbour and said they rarely spoke.
The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) said in a press release that fire investigators have not yet determined what caused the explosion but estimated the damages at $600, 000.
Schnurr thinks it’s much more than that.
Saskatoon Fire Chief previously told reporters the blast blew the front walls of the house onto the lawn. Mayor Charlie Clark, who inspected the scene closely, said the roof landed on top of the adjacent houses. On Monday Global News saw that some of the siding on the home to the south had melted.
Considering the damage other adjacent houses suffered, he said he’s lucky. His property only suffered minor burns from the debris — mostly burning documents — that landed on his yard.
Police are still investigating.
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