Apartment building in Sarnia, Ont. evacuated after explosion

Residents in a Sarnia apartment building were evacuated Sunday night after an explosion in a building at the Sherwood Village Apartment complex, police say.

Sarnia police say they received a call around 9:25 p.m. of a possible explosion at an apartment building at 272 Finch Dr.

The building sustained structural damage and all residents inside were evacuated “out of an abundance of caution,” police say.

“One individual was initially taken to the local hospital but last evening that individual was taken to a London hospital given the fact he had fairly significant injuries,” said Const. Giovinni Sottosanti, Sarnia Police media relations officer.

The explosion has not been deemed criminal, but Sottosanti says the fire marshal is still investigating what happened.

Residents of the building were initially taken to Lambton College to stay the night, or were staying with family. Transit buses shuttled residents to the college through the morning. The reception centre at Lambton College was set up and sleep accommodations had been made available for those without a place to go.

In an update around 5:20 p.m., Sarnia police and city officials announced that residents unaffected by the explosion were allowed to return to the building.

Police also said the humane society had been notified to help those with pets and their needs.

All tenants of the building were being asked to contact the City of Sarnia’s emergency management so they can keep track of everyone’s whereabouts.

Tenants are asked to send their name, contact information, apartment number, where they are staying, names of other occupants in their apartment, and how many animals they have to ron.realesmith@sarnia.ca or call 519-332-0330 ext. 3305.