Arson charges in explosion
Police say ‘deliberate act’ was behind dramatic collapse of 2-storey Hamilton house
Police have charged a 76-year-old man with arson after he was pulled out of the rubble of his collapsed central Hamilton home following a natural gas explosion Tuesday.
Murdoch Campbell was charged after Hamilton police and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office executed a search warrant at his134 Gibson Ave. home as part of an investigation into the blast.
“There was some deliberate act to cause the explosion,” Staff Sgt. Emidio Evangelista said Wednesday. “There’s extenuating circumstances, and it’s kind of a delicate matter.”
Neighbouring homes were damaged and the occupants of the street had to leave their residences, which factored into police’s decision to lay charges, Evangelista said.
It took emergency responders about an hour to rescue Campbell — better known as “Murdie” — from the basement of his levelled twostorey home before taking him to Hamilton General Hospital, where he remained Wednesday.
Neighbours and family described Campbell as blind and hard of hearing. Christiaan ter Stege, investigator with the fire marshal’s office, said he was told Campbell was recovering well. His service dog, a black Lab named Flannel, was staying with family after being rescued from the house Tuesday evening, said his sister-in-law, Helen Evans.