SHOCK WAVES IN SCARBOROUGH
We dissect Monday’s blast that levelled a house and rocked a neighbourhood,
On Monday, a massive explosion levelled a home at 3356 Brimley Rd., shaking the neighbourhood and sending a geyser of dust and debris into the sky.
A57-year-old man found in the rubble died of “explosion-related injuries,” officials confirmed Thursday.
As neighbours reel in the quiet treelined suburb, investigators have been sifting through the wreckage attempting to bring order to the chaos.
“It’s frustrating,” said OFM’s Wayne Romaine. “You wished everything just kind of fell like matchsticks.”
On Friday, a woman who said she lived next door to the house where the explosion originated, waited to see if anything could be recovered from what remained of her home, hoping some cash and antiques might still be inside. The young woman said she had lived in the home with her brother, her parents and her paternal grandparents. The family is currently staying at a local hotel.
Eventually investigators emerged with some family photos and some tools from the garage. Later, a spokesperson for the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management (OFMEM) confirmed that workers had demolished the home.
1 The investigation into the blast continues and police maintained a perimeter around the site on Friday.
Investigators will comb through the rubble layer by layer, attempting to determine the explosion’s fuel and ignition sources. They will trace the path that ran from the gas meter to the home, test hypotheses and gather every scrap of evidence they can.
2 “You expect to excavate clothes; you expect to excavate furniture . . . You didn’t expect acetylene tanks to be in a house,” said fire and explosion investigator John Coull. Coull, who works for a company called Origin and Cause, was retained by an insurance company investigating claims involved in the explosion.
He said investigators at the blast site look at mundane household items because anything could be a valuable clue.
3 At least eight other houses were damaged in the blast, according to John Heggie, deputy chief building official and director for the city of Toronto.
The house at 3358 Brimley Rd. was demolished. Five homes were damaged on Port Royal Trail, where Heggie said torn drywall tape suggests the roofs may have lifted off some of the buildings in the explosion before dropping back into place. Two other homes on Brimley Rd. were also damaged in the blast.
4 Gas can seep into a home from outside sources, according to Michael Potvin, manager of investigation services with the Ontario Fire Marshal. If someone struck a gas line outside of a home, for instance, the gas could travel through porous soil and into a nearby home. Asphalt over top would keep the gas from escaping upwards, Potvin said. There is no evidence to suggest that occurred here, but investigators will work to rule it out.
5 Investigators have not released any evidence of foul play or illegal activity. They will focus on the pipes in and around the house. As they sift through debris, investigators will search for piping from the home and attempt to answer key questions. Were the couplings/connections/joints intact? Had anyone cut a gas line at the home? Evidence of tampering with pipes can suggest foul play, according to former Toronto fire chief Bill Stewart. They will also examine any gas-powered appliances in the home.
6 Different fuels can sometimes correspond with different ignition sources, said Potvin. Propane, which is heavier than air, may sink and be sparked by a lower ignition source. Natural gas dissipates into the air, which can make an ignition source harder to pin down. Possible ignition sources include pilot lights, light switches or simple friction.
7 Who’s on scene: Six staff from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office;
Two fuel inspectors from the Technical Standards and Safety Authority will provide “technical assistance” to the OFMEM, said a spokesperson;
Between three and five people from the city’s building department: a manager, two senior inspectors, “a couple of other inspectors” and Heggie working as an overseer;
Investigators working on behalf of insurance companies with claims related to the explosion;
Toronto police, heavy equipment operators and workers from Enbridge.