Responders worked around the clock following a “significant explosion” that occurred at a Regina four-plex unit on the corner of 6th Avenue and Retallack Street Sunday morning. In a recent statement, the Regina Fire & Protective Services said they completed a thorough search and determined that the property is all clear and no victims were located.
“Fire Investigators located a gas line within the property that had been compromised and determined this explosion was related to natural gas,” stated Regina Fire. “An ignition source could not be located due to the extent of the damage.”
The structure was reduced to rubble and deemed unsafe. The house explosion occurred at 10:50 a.m. on Nov. 13.
Although only one person suffered minor injuries due to glass abrasions, two people from a nearby property were displaced and taken to temporary housing by Regina Mobile Crisis.
“The apartment block next to the one that had the explosion … it’s structurally damaged. Those two individuals that were living in that block have been displaced,” said Regina Fire Deputy Fire Chief Gord Hewitt.
“(The two people) had a conversation with (investigators) and determined that they were the only two that lived in the building. So, they had, you know, a basically an occupant-stated all-clear on the property, so that was reassuring,” Hewitt said.
With a backhoe being used to pull apart the debris, crews are urged the public to stay away from the area. A mobile crisis bus was brought in for residents who were temporarily evacuated from their homes to provide warmth as crews worked to clear debris. Windows at nearby properties around the neighbourhood were taken out by the explosion.
“Our number-one priority is public safety and knowing the weather being cold,” said Hewitt. “We did ensure that some of those properties that lost their windows were boarded up for the purpose of warmth.“
Hewitt said house explosions in the city in recent years are not common, especially at this magnitude.
“I’ve been in the fire service for 24 years, and … I haven’t seen anything like this yet,” said Hewitt. “Probably half an hour of being on scene, we knew that we were going to need to provide shelter for some individuals in the area.”
Hewitt said it’s still fairly early in the process to be able to give an estimated cost of the damage. The investigation has been turned over to Regina Police Service for follow up. The site remains fenced and the neighbouring apartment complex which suffered significant structural damage will be demolished.