Explosion rocks Spruce Grove neighbourhood
Fire investigators are working to determine what caused an explosion Saturday night at a duplex under construction in Spruce Grove.
Two sub-contractors had been tiling in the kitchen in the Greenbury Crescent home throughout the day, and said they had smelled a "gas-like" substance in the home.
Both men were working in the home when the basement exploded, but both were able to escape the home without injury.
Emergency services evacuated residents in a one-block radius; they were later allowed to return to their homes.
Tyson Turton and Chris Knapik saw it all happen and rushed to help.
"It was like the movies," Turton said. "You’re expecting a movie crew to say cut, kind of thing. It was nuts."
Investigators don't yet know the cause of the explosion but some residents told CBC News there was clearly a smell of propane.
"As soon as you got up there all you could smell was gas, like a propane smell," Knapik said. "And it was just like, okay, we should back up here because this thing is unstable."
The investigation is ongoing, but officials say it does not appear to be suspicious in nature.
This all comes just two days after an explosion at a house under construction in Fort Saskatchewan killed one worker and injured two others.
They were working on a single-family home when a gas or propane leak in the basement ignited.
