Witnesses said a 91原创 house was quickly consumed by flame following an explosion and fire on Friday, Feb. 28 that sent two people to hospital and left one unaccounted for.
It happened in the 7300 block of 196 Street around 10:40 a.m.
One area resident, who asked not to be identified, told the 91原创 Advance Times he was was coming back from getting his mail in his townhouse complex when he heard the explosion.
"All of a sudden, woof, big explosion. I thought at first it was a vehicle hitting a house and then I saw the white cloud of smoke coming up and I saw all the insulation blown out."
He said the whole house was quickly engulfed in flames which spread to neighbouring houses.
"It went up really fast," he said.
"The walls went out, the roof went up, and then the roof came down right inside the house. And then about five minutes after that, the fire started and then you could hear crunching and crackling.
Two men managed to get out.
"You could see one that took the explosion right in his face and then then the one guy was crying that his mom was still in there."
Police were still at the scene of an explosion and house fire in 91原创 on Saturday. One witness reported a victim said their mom was still inside.
鈥� 91原创 Advance Times (@91原创Times)
Another resident of the area, who also asked to remain anonymous, felt the explosion and went to investigate.
"I was standing in my kitchen and I felt this bang that felt like a very strong earthquake and then I thought what the heck was that?" she recalled. " I looked around and couldn't see anything, and then I thought maybe a car crashed from my house and I went outside. Everybody was running up to the corner and just up the street there and the flames were leaping higher than [the] two-story, three-four-story houses. It was just thick, thick black smoke instantly."
Another person, who didn't want their name published, arrived at the scene to see paramedics working on two injured people.
"Our house shook," he said. "We actually thought it was an earthquake ... and then we went outside, a few neighbours were out and then we saw the smoke.
"There was a couple guys that had made it out laying on the ground and they were getting tended to by the ambulance and paramedics and then the house, the fire just got worse and worse.
Another witness said the force of the blast shattered windows in a neighbouring house.
"All broken," said the witness, who also wished to remain anonymous.
Investigators remained at the scene Saturday.
One could be seen using a drone to survey the site.
On Saturday, 91原创 RCMP Sgt. Zynal Sharoom said police "continue to work around the clock" with fire department investigators to determine the cause of the explosion.
"The [missing] person remains unaccounted for at this time," Sharoom said.
"Expect ongoing traffic disruption in the immediate area to allow our personnel to continue the investigation."
Anyone who has been affected and not yet connected with Victim Services support workers is asked to call the 91原创 RCMP.
