Search to resume today for missing person after house explosion in Scarborough

A search is expected to resume on Monday for one person who is unaccounted for following a fire and explosion at a home in Scarborough on Sunday morning.

Fire crews were called to a home on Kitchener Road near Kingston and Galloway Roads just after 11:30 a.m. for reports of an explosion in the area.

“There is evidence of a significant explosion,” said Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg.

Officials say one person, believed to be the lone occupant in the home at the time of the blast, is missing.

“We have the situation under control,” said Pegg. “We’re now working with Toronto Hydro, Enbridge Gas, and police on determining the next steps and once it is safe to do so, begin the process of searching the debris to confirm whether or not there was this reported occupant in the structure.”

Pegg added that no other injuries had been reported and that adjacent homes were largely unaffected by the fire and explosion.

One firefighter sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

“I was sleeping in my room …and suddenly I woke up to the sound of an explosion,” said Nobel Ahmed, who was in the neighbouring home. He said he saw someone on the second floor of the home engulfed in flames just as first responders were arriving on the scene.

Another resident in the area tells CityNews they felt the force of the explosion a few blocks away, saying it felt like something had struck their home.

There is no initial word on what may have caused the fire or led to the explosion.