Destroyed walls, shattered windows and couches in the garden. The house on 152 Cooper Crescent was destroyed after exploding the night of Feb. 24. Shocked neighbours of the house wonder what caused the incident while police continues an investigation.
“I didn’t hear much. I felt a big shake. My picture shook, and my house shook,” said Colleen Selinger, who lives nearby. “You could see fire from the back. I thought maybe it was the garage,” she added.
SaskEnergy said there was no evidence of a natural gas leak on the property. Regina Police Service is investigating other possible causes.
To Sherry Fisher, resident at Cooper Crescent, the explosion was also a big shock. “All of the sudden we heard a huge boom,” she said. Fisher added the smoke coming out of the house smelled like oil and made the air very hard to breathe.
Two male aged 35 and 19 were severely injured and remain in hospital, while a male aged 28 was released the day after the explosion.
Neither Selinger nor Fisher knew the people affected by the explosion. “I never saw anything there. I talked to the lady that lived there last summer, she was very nice,” Selinger said. She said she saw the same lady crying after the incident happened.
Elizabeth Popowich, public information manager of Regina Police Service, said despite the speculation, it is too early to confirm theories. Regina Fire and Protective Services are working with the police to determine the origin and cause of the explosion. “The origin and causes, combined with circumstances and information that we gathered, will help us know whether or not there is a criminal aspect to the case,” Popowich said.
The magnitude of the explosion caused some alarms go off. Neighbours confused the smoke and wind that came from the house with a storm. “I could see nothing, it was just smoke, I opened up the front door and it was like pillows of smoke,” said Fisher, who also saw the flames come from the back of the house.
Some neighbours did not notice there was an explosion. Sirens and worried residents spread the news of what happened. People from the street said they are not worried about the possibility of a gas leak and think it will remain as an isolated incident in the area.
Popowich also mentioned the first action by the police was to hold the scene. “You don’t want anyone else to have access because you don’t want someone to remove something that might be evidence of a criminal act,” she said. Officers were stationed at the front and back of the house to preserve the scene.
While rumours spread among worried neighbours, Popowich said investigations like this one can take time, and every case evolves differently. The medical needs of the victims are a priority, so questioning the injured occupants will wait until their lives are safe from danger, Popowich said.
