A woman is dead and a man is critically injured after a Kitchener home on Sprucedale Crescent exploded on Wednesday morning.
Police blocked off the area surrounding the house shortly after the blast.
“It’s premature to call it anything more than a death investigation,” says Chief Jon Rehill of the Kitchener Fire department.
Officials say 16 houses needed to be evacuated for the investigation and the safety of the residents and say it could be up to three days before anyone can return to their homes.
Neighbours say the blast was felt from kilometres away.
Moments later, many ran to provide assistance.
“I think you do what you need to do,” says Ellen Hergott, a retired nurse.
She says she responded quickly to help a man who was pulled from the backyard during the aftermath.
“He had his eyes open. I talked to him. I rubbed his head. I rubbed his back and I told him that the ambulance was coming,” she says.
The identities of the victims have not been confirmed.
While the investigation is ongoing, early damage estimates are in the millions of dollars.
Additional support services have been made available to those affected in the area.
