APRIL 21, 2015
TORONTO – A preliminary investigation by the Ontario
Fire Marshal indicates a massive explosion that levelled a Toronto home on
Monday and left one man dead was gas related.
“There was very little fire damage to the debris,” said
Wayne Romaine of Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal during a press conference
Tuesday morning.
“Once the explosion took place, the fuel was spent.”
Wayne Romaine of Ontario Fire Marshal office says deadly
explosion on Brimley Rd is a gas related based on evidence. pic.twitter.com/cYmbrmTjtJ
— Catherine McDonald (@cmcdonaldglobal) April 21, 2015
Romaine said the fuel, which has yet to be positively
identified, was ignited from “mid-range.”
“Every fuel has a range, upper explosive range and lower
explosive,” said Romaine. “If it’s below that, the fuel is too lean. It doesn’t
create this.”
Dash cam video recorded around 4:20 p.m. and obtained by
Global News shows a house on Brimley Rd. in Scarborough burst into a cloud of
smoke as the driver backs out of a driveway nearby.
Toronto Fire Services said on Monday a natural gas leak was
detected and as many as 40 nearby residences were also damaged as a result of
the explosion.
OFM: As many as 40 homes have been affected by blast. Had
some damage. Not clear when homeowners who had to leave can go back.
— Catherine McDonald (@cmcdonaldglobal) April 21, 2015
Toronto Paramedic Services said a man who was the resident
of the home was found without vital signs and pronounced dead at the scene.
Emergency crews later identified the victim as 57-year-old
Paul Zigomanis.
A neighbour told Global News they heard a loud bang, looked
outside and the house was gone.
Police say Brimley Rd. will remain closed between Port Royal
and Steeles for an “extended period of time.”
Debris was seen scattered over hundreds of metres, some of
it hanging from trees and on neighbouring houses.
Officials are still working to account for all the residents
of the homes affected.
Romaine said a fourth search dog has been brought in to look
for bodies that may be unaccounted for.
Cadaver dog has been brought in this am. This is the 4th dog
since yesterday that's been here. Starting to move into the home. Autopsy today
— Catherine McDonald (@cmcdonaldglobal) April 21, 2015
Meanwhile, investigators have also started to move into the
home Tuesday morning.
“In addition to that, we have a forensic engineering team,”
he said. “We entered this process with an open mind. We are gathering as
much empirical data we can.”
Romaine said the direction of the debris may lend
a key clue to locating the source of the explosion.
“Rather than looking at the charring of wood, the melting of
plastic, the oxidation of metal, what we’re looking at in an explosion will be
the direction of the nails,” Romaine explained.
“The ripping forces both with a positive and negative
pressure wave.”
Source: http://globalnews.ca