‘Really scary’: One person seriously injured after house explosion on Selkirk Avenue
Posted October 15, 2022 11:12 am.
Last Updated October 16, 2022 10:21 am.
Neighbours remain in shock after a person was taken to hospital in unstable condition following a house explosion near the CP Logan Yards on Friday night.
The explosion happened at a home on Selkirk Avenue near Chudley Street around 10:30 p.m.
Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews say they arrived to find a bungalow heavily damaged, with a strong smell of gas coming from it.
“I was just sitting watching TV and then all of a sudden, this big loud explosion happened and I couldn’t figure out what on earth was happening,” said neighbour Diane Kennedy. “And then the way my house shook too, I thought, ‘did something hit my house?’
“It was scary. It was really scary.”
WFPS says a person was inside the home at the time of the explosion and suffered “significant injuries.” They were treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital. There were no other injuries.
Kennedy says she spoke to the man who was taken to hospital. She says he sustained numerous injuries to his legs and was incoherent when she tried to speak with him, adding neighbours offered him water and a blanket.
She says the situation is an unsettling one.
“We’ve never had a problem like this, ever, and people are curious as to what’s going on,” she said.
A long-time resident in the area, Kennedy says she’s known two generations of people who have lived at the home.
“It’s horrific. It’s really horrific, because I knew the people, the original owners of the home, and to see it like this…”
Debris left behind after Winnipeg house explosion on Oct. 14, 2022. (Credit: CityNews/Morgan Modjeski)
Five neighbouring homes were evacuated as a precaution. Residents returned once fire crews determined it was safe by ensuring there was no gas buildup in the homes. Manitoba Hydro turned off gas access to the damaged house.
Kennedy was one of the people evacuated alongside her small dog. She says the explosion could be felt from her home just a few houses down.
“It’s unnerving, it really is. I’ve got to check my house for structural damage now, because it was shaken pretty badly.”
The cause of the explosion is under investigation.
