One killed: A 54-year-old man is dead after explosion levels Caledon home,
54-year-old killed in Caledon house explosion, neighbours evacuated
An explosion in Caledon Village early Sunday morning has killed one man and forced dozens of others from their homes while investigators work to determine what caused the blast.
Joseph Westcott, 54, died after his brick bungalow on Maple Grove Rd. burst into pieces —“obliterated” — an OPP spokesperson said, shortly after 6 a.m.
Ontario Provincial Police and fire crews swiftly evacuated 30 to 35 residents from homes on the road. The OPP said each property must be inspected for structural damage before anyone can safely return. The process is expected to take several days. The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office is investigating.
Sarah Shaw and her family were among the evacuees. She said she woke up to what she thought might have been an earthquake. Light fixtures in her kitchen and son’s bedroom crashed to the ground, as did a mirror in her daughter’s bedroom. The power had cut out.
The explosion roused dozens of Shaw’s neighbours in the tight-knit community. Within minutes of hearing what many described as an unnerving “boom” followed by a flash of lights, they gathered on a social media website to share information.
Some posted their home addresses and invited anyone needing food and shelter to come over.
Melanie Thomson-Singer, a registered pediatric nurse, was among those looking for ways to help.
She moved to the village — a place she calls a “hidden gem” — 11 years ago. She lives two streets away from Westcott’s property, and described feeling a massive force hit the side of her home.
“Immediately after ... the sky lit up blue and then red,” she said. “I was really scared and confused. My heart was pounding.”
When Shaw checked the rest of the house, she said she found her back door had blown open. Friends with a farm took in her family after emergency responders told them to leave immediately.
OPP Const. Ian Michel said it’s too early to confirm whether a gas leak caused the explosion, though most residents say they suspect as much because there was no visible fire.
Carolyn Hodder, who lives in the village, was in her kitchen when she heard the boom.
She thought her roof had collapsed. Her husband and daughter jumped out of bed and raced downstairs, she said.
Hodder said she found nearly a dozen cracks in the walls of her home.
About a dozen of the displaced residents initially found shelter inside a local church, Knox United, near Hurontario St. and Charleston Sideroad.
Achurch member who lives in the village had been on the community’s Facebook page just after the blast occurred. She quickly contacted the church’s property chair, Ron Kyle, asking that he open its doors so they could provide shelter, comfort and food, which they did starting at 6:30 a.m., Kyle said.
By evening, the makeshift headquarters for displaced residents, emergency responders, Red Cross staff, support staff from Peel Region and Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson moved to a community centre near the town’s fairgrounds.
Only a handful of residents remained on site as the sun went down.
Nearly 12 hours after the explosion, Shaw returned to her community’s Facebook page to add a small bright note to a stream of hundreds of messages that marked a tragic and frightening day.
Emergency support staff, she said, had arranged for a group of evacuees to return to an area near the blast site by bus, where they could wait while firefighters entered their homes with short lists of belongings that residents needed to get by for the next few days.
“The bunnies have been rescued!” Shaw wrote. “My kids will be so happy.”
She thanked the members of the group for their love and support.
“This has been scary,” Shaw noted. “Caledon first responders and all support staff here have been incredible. I’m lucky to live in such an amazing community.”