

Someone from Station 12's rope rescue unit had entered the basement through a window and "started cutting inspection holes in the subfloor to deploy a 360 search camera to try and get a visual on the trapped individual." Getting him out would prove more complicated, as firefighters needed "to allow for structural collapse teams to do their work." Search cameras were sought "to get a better idea of what's going on inside the structure." One construction worker was trapped inside the rubble of Townhouse 113 for three hours.

The first man rescued was initially heard responding, and found, about a half hour after the blast.Īs that man was moved out of the debris at 7:19 a.m., muffled sounds from the second trapped man could be heard from the ruins of Townhouse 113, a destroyed unit located just west of the bend on Blossom Pass Terrace.Ī map outlining Minto's Avalon Vista development. To find the two men trapped in the rubble, crews called out to survivors while combing through the wreckage, records show. "Only after discussions with … Minto staff and many other fire officials it was determined that all people had been rescued and accounted tor," another member wrote. It wasn't until 9:10 a.m., nearly three hours after the explosion, that officials confirmed a third person believed trapped was in fact out and safe.

In the hours that followed, CBC heard from residents and officials about the impact of the blast. 13, a violent explosion on Blossom Pass Terrace levelled several homes under construction in the area. WATCH | Scenes from the day of the explosion:ĭuration 1:52 On Feb. "I was updated by some other workers on site that there were possibly one or two people missing with their whereabouts unknown," the Station 53 member reported. One early caller said all the houses were occupied, while other information from workers at the site indicated "nobody was in the buildings in question." There was conflicting information about how many people might have been at the site during the explosion and how many might be trapped in the rubble. A 3rd trapped person?įirefighters searched homes within a two-block radius for people injured in the blast. "Once the gas was turned off and it was safe for our crews to disconnect power, they were able to do so within minutes," the spokesperson said. "It's really hard to start a rescue of a patient knowing that all these risks exist," Messier said.Ī spokesperson for Hydro One said the request from first responders was received at about 6:33 a.m., with crews arriving at 7:01 a.m. "I made multiple requests to have Hydro disconnect the power to this entire development," wrote another member. "Our crews were in danger of being electrocuted searching and performing multiple rescues." Firefighters comb though the wreckage of the explosion the morning it happened.
