No serious injuries in East York house explosion

By News Staff

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of an explosion at a home in East York that has displaced at least eight residents.

Toronto Fire were called to a home on Woodbine Avenue just north of Danforth Avenue shortly after 5 p.m.

When they arrived, they discovered a small fire in the basement which was quickly extinguished. However, fire officials determined the building was not safe and evacuated.

Toronto Fire platoon chief Peter Chow said everyone in the residence has been accounted for, including a family of four who lived in the basement.

Paramedics say they assessed one person on the scene and police say several other people made their way to a nearby hospital to be treated. There was no immediate word on their conditions.

The structure in question appears to be a former convenience store which has been turned into a residence. Aside from the four people who lived in the basement, Chow said there was one person on the first floor and three others on the second floor.

Spencer Scurr and Mike Wiznuk, who live in the building, say they heard a “big boom.”

“The grate on the vent in my room popped off its hole and flew into the air and a big cloud of smoke came out. We all just bailed out of the house as quick as we could,” said Wiznuk.

“The floor must have jumped about half a foot and all of the windows around us exploded …yeah, there was a blast, floor jumped, windows shattered, screaming and we got out of the house,” recalled Scurr.

Toronto police say they are waiting for Toronto Fire to determine the cause of the explosion before deciding whether or not the incident is a criminal matter.

Engineers have been called in to determine if the building is structurally safe before fire investigators can get in and begin their probe.

Enbridge Gas crews were also on scene to help in determining the cause.

Chow said there does not appear to be any visual damage to the adjacent home but added engineers will also have to determine if there is any structural damage.

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