Calgarian Christine Bergeron was enjoying a family reunion in northeast Edmonton yesterday when a blast rocked the neighbourhood, killing three and injuring several, including a child.
Fire officials are still looking for a missing person in the blast that shook several neighbouring homes and forced 15 others to be evacuated.
Bergeron, 26, was enjoying a barbecue with family when the blast caused everyone to scramble for cover just after 1 p.m.
“All we heard was a big boom out of nowhere and the explosion made the doors shake and rattle. We were like, ‘Whoa, what was that?’ And the neighbours and us started asking each other what happened,” Bergeron said.
“We were freaked out. It was such a huge explosion we thought a gas station blew up. But now we’re sad to hear a kid was injured and people died. It was pretty scary.”
Fire crews are investigating whether the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak.
One home was levelled and homes on either side were badly damaged. Windows in homes across the street were also shattered from the force of the blast, according to a witness.
With chunks of debris that had rained down all over the neighbourhood, and a crush of emergency response vehicles, residents said their street felt like a war zone.
“My ears popped like it was a huge sound that happened. And the pictures fell off our wall and everything,” said Alexis Bharrat, who shot some home video of the flattened home as it burned.
Robert D’Aoust, the area fire chief, said there’s an indication that over a dozen homes have received various levels of damage and crews continued to investigate into the evening.
He also indicated emergency crews were conducting a thorough search of all structures, searching for other potential victims.
with files from the Canadian Press
