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Family displaced by east Ottawa explosion moved in days before

Some of the damage following an early morning gas leak and explosion in east Ottawa on Monday.  (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press - image credit)
Some of the damage following an early morning gas leak and explosion in east Ottawa on Monday. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press - image credit)

Danish Muneer's family moved into their townhome in east Ottawa's Minto Avalon Vista development last Thursday night.

A few sleeps later, their lives were upturned when an explosion rocked their new home and neighbourhood early Monday morning.

"Mentally we are terrified and shocked," said Muneer, who lives at 165 Shallow Pond Place.

That's only metres away from the four houses under construction on nearby Blossom Pass Terrace that Ottawa Fire Services says were most affected by the blast.

Muneer was out of town when his wife, two daughters — one a four-month-old baby — and a visiting cousin fled the "dark and smoky" scene.

His absence just made the situation even more distressing, he said.

"I couldn't help [them]."

Roof came down, mom says

Sana Mohammad Asghar, Muneer's wife, said she and her two kids were sleeping in the same bed when the explosion sent part of the roof down on her two-year-old daughter.

"There was smoke and dust and I couldn't see anything," she said.

Mohammad Asghar eventually grabbed both kids and ran out of the house.

She said she hurt her knee, back and shoulders.

"It's hurting but I can handle it."

Jean Delisle/CBC
Jean Delisle/CBC

Mahpara Anwer Ansari, Muneer's visiting cousin, said part of the house came down on her too.

"I couldn't stand up. I was trying to push the roof … whatever was on top of me," she said, adding that she eventually removed herself and went downstairs, walking over glass in her bare feet.

"That was crazy," she said.

Muneer said his family couldn't return home because police blocked off the area. The family is staying in Stittsville and Barrhaven.

"I do know the roof is seriously damaged as we had debris in our bedrooms," he said.

"This has been so traumatic."

Son's bedroom window shattered 

Another resident on Shallow Pond Place, Geoff Pasowysty, reported similar damage, sharing a photo of his six-year-old son Logan pointing out to a large hole in his bedroom window.

"I can't believe the glass shattered all over my kid's bed and they were smart enough to not walk in it," he said.

Submitted by Geoff Pasowysty
Submitted by Geoff Pasowysty

Pasowysty said his front door and garage door were also blown open and the locks destroyed.

"We've heard a lot of similar stories from a lot of the other people that are staying in the Minto houses here," he said.

He was allowed to go back into his home to grab some necessities on Monday afternoon and his family is being put up in a hotel, he added.

Submitted by Geoff Pasowysty
Submitted by Geoff Pasowysty

Simerdeep Singh, who lives just north of the blast scene on Fairlakes Way, said he was asked by police to leave his home about an hour after the explosion.

"It was really a confusing situation for … everyone," he said, speaking outside a Minto sales centre where the company had invited affected residents to take shelter.

The Ottawa Police Service said it could not confirm how many homes were damaged but said the destruction footprint is quite large.

CBC
CBC

Workers rescued from rubble

The fire department said the explosion was caused by a gas leak.

Enbridge, which provides natural gas to the area, shut off supply to 27 homes as a safety precaution.

The Office of the Fire Marshal said it sent an initial team of six people, including investigators, to determine the cause, origin and circumstances of the explosion.

Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press

The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), Ontario's regulator for fuels, boilers, pressure vessels and elevating devices, is also looking into what happened.

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development is also investigating, as the explosion happened at a work site overseen by Minto Construction.

Kim Ayotte, Ottawa's general manager of emergency & protectives services, said the people rescued from the rubble were workers, although it was unclear which company employs them.

Minto Communities Canada President Brent Strachan told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning Tuesday that no Minto staff were physically hurt, but some were traumatized by what they saw at the blast site.

30 families still can't return home

Avalon Vista is a new neighbourhood under construction by Minto, one of Ottawa's largest real estate companies, about 20 kilometres east of Ottawa's core.

A site plan for Avalon Vista on Minto's website lays out designs for more than 100 single-family homes and executive townhouses.

Minto
Minto

Strachan said about 30 families were living in Avalon Vista and can't move back home yet.

Another six families were planning to move in this week, and about 100 or so homes are under construction.

"You had a combination of homes basically at every stage of construction as well as some families who had moved into the area in the last couple of months," Strachan said.

Once the investigation into what happened is over, nearby homes can be inspected and they can go from there.

Ottawa firefighters said Tuesday morning that residents looking for information can go further north on Tenth Line Road to the Ray Friel Recreation Complex's Queensway Room starting at 9 a.m.