Someone was in the home
The remains of one person was found among the ruins of the Crescent Heights home where an explosion occurred
Emergency officials have discovered human remains in a house rocked by an explosion Wednesday in Crescent Heights.
An autopsy was performed by the Calgary Medical Examiner’s office on Thursday to determine the identity of the victim and cause of death. The Medicine Hat Police Service is confirming the remains were badly burned, making positive identification difficult.
“Due to the nature of the event, it could be a challenge,” admitted S/Sgt. Trevor Humphries of the MHPS Major Crimes Section.
Humphries said officers know who all the occupants of the house are, but any conclusions in terms of a potential identification would be premature until the medical examiner’s report comes in. The remains were discovered at about 7 p.m. Wednesday evening.
“When the property was deemed safe for examination of scene, that’s when the remains were found,” explained Humphries. “We had to do a lot of work to look through the scene to find the remains ... The entire home had sort of collapsed in on itself within the structure.”
Deputy fire chief Lance Purcell confirmed an excavator was brought in to topple significant parts of the remaining structure before investigators and firefighters entered.
“We only entered when we were sure the scene was safe,” he said. “There was a significant amount of debris which had fallen into the basement. It was a lot of handwork involved to dig through.”
Purcell says the fire department is assisting Major Crimes with the investigation and cannot speak to the cause of the explosion and fire until that investigation is complete.
Medicine Hat fire, EMS and police personnel responded to the area of Hudson Way NE on Wednesday morning following a report of an explosion and fire at a residence. The resulting fire destroyed one home and caused extensive damage to two neighboring properties.