Mississauga explosion damage requires adjacent homes to be 'taken down,' fire chief says

Two homes adjacent to a fatal house explosion in Mississauga, Ont., will have to be demolished and removed, fire officials said Wednesday.

Fire Chief Tim Beckett said "it's too early to determine" what will happen to all of the homes that sustained damage.

However, homes around the blast site "are definitely in the condition that will need to be removed," Beckett told reporters on Wednesday night.

Asked specifically about which homes he was referring to, Beckett indicated the home that exploded, as well as the houses on either side of the blast zone.

"Those are definitely houses that are part of their investigation that will be taken down," he said. "One is gone and the two on either side are in very rough shape."

Beckett also said that officials were able to reduce the outer perimeter of the investigation site, meaning some residents would be allowed to access their homes for supplies, while others would be allowed to sleep in their own beds Wednesday night.

The biggest change is the removal of barriers from outside a townhouse complex at 4222 Dixie Rd., just northeast of the blast site, Beckett said.

"We've had investigators and inspectors into that area and everything was deemed to be stable and safe," he said. 

'Slow, systematic sweep'

The explosion, which occurred Tuesday around 4:20 p.m. ET, destroyed one home and damaged 24 others on Hickory Drive, a residential area near Dixie Road and Rathburn Road East about 30 kilometres west of downtown Toronto.

The identity of the woman who was killed has not been released. Nine people suffered minor injuries, but no one was taken to hospital.

Earlier Wednesday afternoon, Beckett said that investigators are conducting a "slow, systematic" sweep of the blast area in order to collect evidence, as well as to determine whether homes affected by the blast are structurally sound.

Beckett said that when the fire marshal's office is done, building inspectors and fire prevention officers will inspect the damaged dwellings.

A representative with the fire marshal's office said Wednesday that its investigation could extend into the weekend.

In his late Wednesday briefing, Beckett said that investigators "are no closer to determining the cause" of the blast.

Investigators have already identified a number of residents who will not be returning to their homes "for some time" because their houses are in a "state of disrepair," Beckett said earlier Wednesday, though he could not give an exact number of severely damaged dwellings.

Homes on the outer perimeter that are deemed safe will also have to be reconnected to gas and hydro, he said.

'We could be in the millions for damage'

Beckett said Toronto's urban search and rescue team, with the help of sniffer dogs, went through homes in the blast area Tuesday night, but no other victims were found.

"We're comfortable that there was nobody in those buildings. We now have people accountable on both sides of the blast zone," Beckett said. 

Immediately after the blast, about 700 addresses were evacuated. By Wednesday morning, the number of addresses in that perimeter was reduced by about a third, Beckett said. 

The current no-go area includes the following perimeter: 

• Dixie Road to the east.
• Rathburn Road to the south. 
• Hickory Drive to the west. 
• The top end of Hickory Drive at Dixie to the north.

On Tuesday night, residents displaced by the explosion gathered at the Burnhamthorpe Community Centre where emergency personnel provided them with food and medication. Five people affected by the explosion stayed in hotels, while the rest were with friends or family members.

The reception centre was scheduled to remain open until 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Reporting from the neighbourhood Wednesday morning, CBC's Linda Ward said everything from wood to bits of insulation are strewn across streets.

"Debris is scattered all over the community here," she reported. "You really get a sense of the power of this blast."

A representative from Al-Care DKI, a post-emergency assessment and cleanup company, was at the scene Wednesday helping residents assess damage.

"Most of the houses in this neighbourhood will need some kind of repairs," Paul McBlain, a project manager for the company, told CBC News.

"We could be in the millions for damage."

He added that emotions are "fairly high" among residents. "They're usually relieved to see us guys."

Police investigating notes found in debris

Peel Regional Police Chief Jennifer Evans also said Wednesday morning that police were investigating notes found near the scene of the blast, including whether they will help determine the cause of the blast.

Sgt. Josh Colley, public information supervisor for Peel police, said Wednesday afternoon that police are working to connect the notes to whichever home they came from.

"There's nothing to connect it to the actual house," Colley told reporters. "As you are aware, there are a lot of damaged homes."

Police are treating every document that residents turn over as evidence, he said.

Neither Evans nor Colley would specify what was in the notes, but residents described them as disturbing.

'You could see the devastation in their faces'

​Neighbour Kim Gomes was forced to flee her house with her children moments after the blast. 

"Nobody knew what happened, everyone was just terrified and shaking…. I'm still shaking," she said. "We just ran … we thought there was going to be another explosion."

Roz, a Canadian Red Cross worker who gave her first name only, was at the community centre in the hours after the blast, and said residents showed up in shock.

"They had nothing. They basically showed up with animals and the clothes that they ran with," she said. "You could see the devastation in their faces. Absolutely unbelievable."

​Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said she has been impressed by how members of the community "pulled together so quickly" in the hours after the explosion. 

"People were helping each other, neighbours welcoming each other into their homes," she said. "We have all been devastated by this."

St. Basil Catholic Elementary School on Golden Orchard Drive was closed Wednesday due to the blast. The school was scheduled to reopen on Thursday. There are also several road closures in the area.

Salvation Army Thrift Store locations are accepting donations of gently used clothing, household items and furniture. Cash donations are not currently being accepted.