Officials uncovered what they describe as an unusually high number of butane containers at a fire-ravaged Woodstock home.
Demolition crews started tearing down the charred structure Sunday morning, allowing police and investigators from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office to pick through the debris.
“It’s unstable,” explains OFM investigator Richard Derstroff. “There’s no way we can actually physical get in there safely.”
The Alberta Avenue home burst into flames Friday afternoon, following an explosion. The blaze sent four unnamed people to hospital.
Officials say they pulled several items from the wreckage on Sunday, including a dog’s remains and a large number of butane containers.
The discoveries are only fuelling neighbours’ suspicions that illegal drug activity may have been happening inside the home.
“We’ve seen a lot of activity at night," says Jessica Dodd. "And we’ve heard rumours that in the back of the house there are lights on 24 hours a day,”.
Dodd lives across the street from the burnt-down home and says this isn’t the first time she’s seen trouble.
“A vehicle was smashed in back in the summer,” she notes. “And we did see their door try to be broken down.”
Others say the incident has left them concerned.
“Almost every house on the street has kids in it, so yeah, it’s very scary being that close to home,” says another neighbour, Wil Timmins.
Officials say there should be no threat to other residents in the neighbourhood, as they believe the explosion was directly linked to just the one home.
