Search continues for missing person following house explosion, fire in Scarborough

Crews continue to search for a missing person after an explosion that levelled a home in Scarborough over the weekend.

Fire sources tell CityNews the body of a man was seen in the rubble of the destroyed home on Kitchener Road, just south of Kingston Road and Lawrence Avenue East. Fire officials and the Ontario Fire Marshal (OFM) have yet to confirm this information.

Crews were called to the home just after 11:30 a.m. Sunday for reports of an explosion in the area. The OFM and fire crews remain on scene and heavy equipment is scheduled to be brought in Monday as crews continue to search the debris.

“We are going under the premise that there is somebody inside,” said Mariano Perini, spokesperson for the OFM, while speaking to reporters Monday morning. “Right now we are doing our assessment to make sure it is safe to get in.”

Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said Sunday that crews were searching for one person, believed to be the lone occupant at the time of the blast, who was unaccounted for. Neighbours reported seeing the homeowner in the home before the explosion.

No other injuries have been reported and officials said adjacent homes were largely unaffected by the fire and explosion. One firefighter had minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

People blocks away reported feeling the blast and pieces of the home were found in neighbours yards two blocks away.

There is no word what led to the explosion and fire. The OFM says crews are working to identify the fuel source.

CityNews has learned that police were called to the same home a few weeks ago, and that there was an interaction between police and a man that is now being probed by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

A SIU spokesperson tells CityNews that incident took place at around 10:30 a.m. on October 23.

Toronto Police Service officers responded to the home to assist a bylaw officer with a man who was armed and aggressive.

“TPS officers became involved in an interaction with the 62-year-old man, and multiple officers deployed their conducted energy weapons,” the SIU said.

The man was apprehended and later taken to hospital after complaining of being in pain.

With files from Carl Hanstke