Massive fire in Milton leaves hundreds in the cold
Posted December 16, 2010 7:17 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MILTON, Ont. – Some Milton residents spent a chilly night in their homes after a natural gas explosion and fire knocked out heat to their neighbourhood.
A Union Gas crew was doing maintenance work near the Bennett and Clark boulevards area at around 2 p.m. when a natural gas line was severed, causing the explosion and fire.
It’s believed a backhoe ruptured the gas line in front of a townhome.
About 500 homes were left without heat overnight.
A warming centre, fully equipped with blankets and snacks, was set up in the cafeteria of E.C. Drury High School for those affected by the outage. Organizers told 680News the centre will remain open until the gas is turned on in every home.
On Wednesday, fire crews battled heavy winds as they doused the blaze with water. Nearby homes were also doused with water to keep the fire from spreading.
“At the moment I’m seeing flames that are probably a good 10 to 20 feet above the house,” said Greg Lowe, one of the residents nearby, when the fire started.
Hawthorne Public School was put in hold and secure mode as a precaution until the fire was out.
Officials said that although they were able to contain the fire in the home, the blaze continued on the front law while the broken gas line could be safely capped.
Halton Police told 680News it took time to cap the gas line because workers were trying not to cut off gas to neighbouring homes on such a cold evening.
