Six people on an abestos abatement team safely escaped a vacant building in Calgary’s Bridgeland neighbourhood that was the site of an explosion on Tuesday morning.
The building, which was formerly a tattoo parlour but had a For Lease sign outside on Tuesday morning, was initially believed to be empty at the time of the blast, however the Calgary Fire Department later said six people were inside at the time.
All six people were able to get out safely, and no others were found inside the building and no injuries were reported.
Fire officials said crews were called to the building at the corner of 1 Avenue and 7A Street N.E. at about 9:40 a.m.
A technical rescue team was called to ensure the building wasn’t at risk of collapsing, the fire department said.
The building was significantly damaged, the fire department said, with one wall being dislodged and several windows being blown out.
Debris could be seen on the ground at the front of the building, and damage was visible on the roof and front of the structure.
The fire department said it appeared to be a natural gas explosion, however, investigators were still working to determine what happened.