The Office of the Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate an explosion that levelled a home on the city’s west Mountain late Friday night.
Speaking to reporters at the scene, Hamilton Fire Chief David Cunliffe said emergency responders started receiving “multiple” calls for reports of an explosion in the area of Bonaventure Drive and Clifton Downs Road around 10:30 p.m. Friday night.
First arriving crews “quickly” reported that a single-family home had been levelled, potentially from an explosion, said Cunliffe. There was no fire, but both homes on either side had been “significantly” damaged and there was a large debris field.
Cunliffe said crews went inside the home to do a search as there were initial reports that someone may have been in the house. Firefighters dug their way through the debris, making it to the basement area and no one was located.
Crews “subsequently” learned there was no one in the home, he added. One of the neighbouring homes was vacant and residents of the home to the east were able to evacuate on their own, he added.
There were no injuries reported in the blast.
“It’s very remarkable,” said Cunliffe. “To level a home is very significant.”
There is no word on the cause of the explosion, but when crews arrived on scene there was a “strong smell” of natural gas, he said. Gas to the adjoining homes was shut off and emergency responders went through neighbouring homes with meters.
