House explodes on Hamilton Mountain; no injuries reported

The Office of the Fire Marshal has assigned two investigators, a forensic engineer and an emergency preparedness unit specialist to probe the cause of an explosion that levelled a home on the city's west Mountain late Friday night.

Speaking to reporters at the scene, Hamilton Fire Chief David Cunliffe said emergency responders started receiving multiple" calls for reports of an explosion in the area of Bonaventure Drive and Clifton Downs Road around 10:30 p.m. Friday night.

First arriving crews quickly" reported that a single-family home had been levelled, potentially from an explosion, said Cunliffe. There was no fire, but both homes on either side had been significantly" damaged and there was a large debris field.

Cunliffe said crews went inside the home to do a search as there were initial reports that someone may have been in the house. Firefighters dug their way through the debris, making it to the basement area and no one was located.

Crews subsequently" learned there was no one in the home, he added. One of the neighbouring homes was vacant and residents of the home to the east were able to evacuate on their own, he added.

There were no injuries reported in the blast.

It's very remarkable," said Cunliffe. To level a home is very significant."

There is no word on the cause of the explosion, but when crews arrived on scene there was a strong smell" of natural gas, he said. Gas to the adjoining homes was shut off and emergency responders went through neighbouring homes with meters.

Eighteen homes in the area experienced a power outage caused by the blast. The Hamilton Building department is inspecting neighbouring homes for structural issues, and residents who are displaced will have access to shelter through Red Cross.

Mark Kostur, who lives a half-block from the home, was watching TV with his daughter when they heard a big bang.

Not just the windows, but the floor started shaking," said Kostur. It felt like an earthquake."

He thought his 90-year-old mother who lives with them had fallen. We went outside and all the neighbours were out too," he said. All of a sudden we heard sirens far away."

Word of the explosion also spread quickly on social media, with reports of a loud blast that shook the Mountain neighbourhood near the Lincoln Alexander Parkway and Upper Paradise Road.

Cunliffe said as of Friday night, at least 10 residents from at least three homes have been displaced. Two of the impacted homes were vacant.

There were no clear estimates on costs of damage, as crews were unable to clearly identify the damage to the surrounding homes. Cunliffe said the city's building department was examining the homes from a structural" perspective.

Shattered glass could be seen glistening on the streets under the lights of fire trucks and at least seven neighbouring homes were hit with rubble. The roof of a nearby house was covered in debris, while another home's siding had been damaged.

It's going to be substantial," Cunliffe said of the damage cost.

With files from Vjosa Isai

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com