UPDATE: SaskEnergy infrastructure, secret laboratory excluded as cause of fatal Saskatoon house explosion
An early morning explosion killed one person and destroyed a home in Saskatoon on Saturday morning.
The Saskatoon Police Service said in a statement that it and the fire department are investigating what caused the explosion that occurred a few minutes before 4 a.m. in the 2200 block of Clarence Avenue South
The statement said major crime and forensic identification units were on site with members of the provincial forensic medicine team, but they were unable to provide any further information about the victim. The release said that due to the “extensive scene”, they probably won’t be able to release any further information for a while.
According to a press release from the fire brigade, an explosion “leveled” the house.
Delivered / City of Saskatoon
In an interview with reporters on Saturday afternoon, fire chief Morgan Hackl said that the first responders had not yet removed the body from the wreck.
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“At this point, all of the debris from the fire has entered the basement, and that is where the body is, so fire investigators and firefighters are removing the body. It will be handed over to the police and the coroner and then an investigation will be initiated, ”said Hackl.
He told reporters that he had rarely seen anything like this.
“The front walls of the house have been blown into the grass,” he said, and “all of the front window jam has actually been blown out of its structure and is on the street.”
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“Vehicles in the south, a garage fire, a house in the north of this property right next door were all involved.”
He said the fire brigade would not let the neighbors who live in the house north of the wreck back in because the damage to their home was so great.
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The firefighters leave the residents of the house to the south, but Hackl said they couldn’t stay overnight.
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Explosion kills person, destroys house in Saskatoon
Explosion kills person, destroys house in Saskatoon – June 19, 2021
The fire brigade and police were still on site around noon. Even Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark examined the damage and expressed his shock to Global News.
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“To see the roof of the house on the roof of every neighboring house is overwhelming,” he said.
He said the resident’s death was “a tragedy for our community”.
An earlier police statement released around 5:30 a.m. said two officers noticed a house fire a few minutes before 4 a.m. and heard an explosion as they approached.
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Saskatoon Police and Fire Department at the scene of the fire in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood
Most of the debris was either blown away or ended up in the basement of the house. Hackl said there was also a garage fire and a house fire in addition to the house. The fire departments rushed together to protect the other two buildings.
Hackl said the crime scene was handed over to the fire investigator by the firefighters around 7 a.m. At 7:11 a.m., the body was found in the basement.
No other injuries or deaths are known at this time. Hackl said the fire department had been told that only one resident lived in the house, but investigators have still not determined whether anyone was still in it at the time. Hackl added that investigators will sift through the rubble and see if they discover any more bodies.
Hackl said that to the best of his knowledge the house had no previous violations or calls to the fire department.
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In addition to the main explosion, there were a number of secondary explosions in vehicles on the property with exploding tires, according to Hackl.
Hackl explained that the explosion blew the front walls of the house onto the grass and the front door onto the street.
“There was a lot of power in there,” he says.
“Large rubble, vehicles and a detached garage were on fire,” it said.
According to the fire department, no firefighters were injured.
The Saskatoon fire department and police did not report any casualties on Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
Delivered / City of Saskatoon
The statement said a fire investigator had been on site and damage estimates were still pending.
The police have cordoned off the street and are asking residents to avoid the area to allow emergency services to enter.
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