Explosion in Canada Damages Building, Five Injured
Five people got injured due to an explosion in a building in Canada on Sunday, Sept 28. Three of those have been critically injured, according to reports.
The incident took place in Montreal's Rosemont borough. Fire-fighters started working on the damages. They have been trying to find out if the building is still structurally sound, CBC News reported. The three-storey suffered the explosion at around 12 noon on Wednesday. There are 52 rooms in the building which is situated at 1460 Bélanger Street, between Fabre streets and Garnier, on the border of Rosemont - Villeray and La-Petite-Patrie boroughs.
The investigation regarding the explosion has started. According to primary assumptions, the three-alarm fire may have started on the main floor. While three of the five injured people are reported to be in serious condition, there is also a fire-fighter who has been received minor injuries. All three of the injured people were rushed to hospital. It was a matter of coincidence that one off-duty fire-fighter was in the area for shopping purpose when the explosion happened. He managed to get inside the building and move the people out when the fire broke out. Montreal Gazette reported that "a blacked propane tank" was found on a flower planter in front of the building. However, the fire-fighters refused to speculate on the cause of the explosion.
According to reports, the stairwell and a supporting structure were damaged in the explosion. The fire-fighter had to evaluate the building's integrity before arson investigators were able to get inside the building. The force of the explosion was enough to blow the windows of the building. Bob Lamle from Urgences-Santé said that one of the injured people had first degree burns while another had second degree burns. Around 60 to 70 per cent of their body suffered burns, according to Lamle. According to him, the third person who had been taken to hospital had minor injuries.
Fire-fighters managed to extinguish the fire soon after the explosion had taken place. Residents of the building took shelter at restaurants and local cafés. Fire victims took shelter in the fire service's car.
Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au