At Least 10 Injured After Explosion Destroys Calgary Home: Fire Department

Firefighters attend the scene of a house explosion that injured several people, destroyed one home and damaged others in Calgary, Alta., Mar. 27, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

At least 10 people were seriously injured Monday after an explosion destroyed a home and damaged surrounding properties in a neighbourhood in northeastern Calgary.

The Calgary Fire Department said that the force of the explosion created “a large debris field” and several fires.

Many of the injured were believed to have been inside the home when it blew up and were sent to various hospitals in the city, the department said.

“Fire crews have been unable to access the source home at this time to search for any more patients due to structural instability,” it said in a news release Monday.

Adam Loria, a spokesman for Calgary Emergency Medical Services, said all the people sent to hospital are adults.

He said six people were in life-threatening condition and four received serious injuries.

Loria said there were no children involved and the explosion was in a single-family home.

“It was quite the group effort, not only with EMS, to ensure all patients were cared for and transported in a timely fashion, but as well with our first responder partners Calgary police and Calgary fire,” Loria said.

Bobbie Puttick, who lives eight houses down from the explosion, said it happened after he left for work, but his children were home at the time.

“They felt the house rock and they came out and took a video right away,” he said.

“It’s nuts to see the house gone. And to see the roof on the other, across the street in the neighbour’s yard.”

Fire and police are on scene trying to determine the cause of the blast.