Two dead after explosion at house near Point Pelee
OPP containing site as a crime scene until coroner establishes cause of deaths
Two people are dead following a house explosion on Marentette Beach, near Point Pelee, on Sunday afternoon.
Officials with the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal told the Star on Monday that the explosion, which occurred at about 5:40 p.m., had killed two adult residents.
Crews discovered two bodies inside the lower portion of the residence, according to Manny Garcia, supervisor of fire investigation services for the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management Ontario. He did not identify the names or genders of the deceased individuals.
“We are assisting our community safety partners, the Ontario Provincial Police and Leamington Fire, in determining the origin and cause of this explosion event,” Garcia said.
“It’s really early in our investigation. Right now we’re dispatching a number of investigative resources here,” including the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, which has jurisdiction over incidents potentially involving natural or propane gas, he said.
Garcia told the Star a lot of debris from the explosion ended up in Lake Erie. The home sat on the beach between the lake and a narrow body of water that lined mainland Leamington. Other debris remained scattered across the property.
“There has been a considerable amount of displacement, then there’s been a post-explosion fire,” he said. “There’s been a fair amount of destruction.”
Garcia said investigators hope to recover as much debris and evidence as possible to assist them in the investigation.
He said he anticipated investigators would remain on scene for another day or two.
Members of Leamington Fire Services assisted in putting up tarps on Monday when the coroner was on the scene.
Body removal workers arrived and took away the remains of the deceased individuals at around 1 p.m.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
Leamington firefighters, Ontario Provincial Police, and Essex-windsor EMS responded to the reported house fire on Sunday.
The OPP will continue to classify and contain the area as a crime scene until the coroner determines whether or not the deaths were accidental, Garcia said.
Video footage of the scene taken shortly after the explosion shows the nearly levelled property engulfed in flames.
Leamington Fire Chief Andrew Baird on Sunday tweeted that the Leamington Fire Department was dispatched to the scene: “LFD Responding Explosion — House.”
Marentette Beach road was closed for several hours while individuals from the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal conducted an investigation.
The home was located between Point Pelee National Park and Hillman Marsh Conservation Area along the eastern shore. Much of the area to the west consists of onion fields.