A day after the house at 131 Base Line Road West exploded, sending a man to hospital in critical condition, investigators with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office were on scene to determine the cause. At the same time, the local developer who owns the property is refuting suggestions that the house was abandoned. “Few weeks ago, this was rented,” Asif Sheikh tells CTV News. “This was not an abandoned house or anything like that. This was rented and I have a property management company.” On Wednesday, the London Fire Department (LDF) stated they routinely inspected the house. “This is a vacant building that is inspected on a monthly basis by fire crews,” Deputy Chief Gary Bridge said at the time. Bridge also confirmed Enbridge was called after the explosion to shut off the gas line. For years, neighbours have complained to Coun. Skylar Franke about the property, and the lot next door (129 Base Line Road West), that are both owned by Sheikh. “Property standard violations, concerns about issues on the property,” she explained. “I’ve also, in fact, asked in the past for fencing to be put up around the property and proper security of the property so that we don’t have all these issues.” The properties at 129-131 Base Line Road West were rezoned several years ago for an apartment building, but Sheikh says economic conditions haven’t been conducive to starting construction. He pushes back against criticism of how the properties have been maintained, “I was [there] a few weeks ago. There’s a property management property taking care of the property. So, what else do you want me to do?” The lot contains waist-high weeds, and there are remnants of a homeless encampment just outside the yellow taped perimeter set-up by the fire department. Franke had been pressing for demolition of the houses on the site since October 2023. Then on April 25, 2024, a fire ripped through the garage section of the house at 129 Base Line Road West, forcing its demolition. “We need to look at how we are dealing with vacant buildings, especially in regards to ones that are awaiting an infill (redevelopment) opportunity,” Franke said. “This building was not properly secured. Neither was the adjacent one that had burnt down in 2024.” Sheikh suspects homelessness and drug-use in the area might eventually be linked to the explosion, but he maintains the house was secured to the best of his abilities. “This kind of an explosion, I feel like [it was] natural gas,” he said. “[Someone] did something funny with something and something happened. That’s the only thing I can think of. I have no idea. But nobody was supposed to be there, and it was properly locked.” He added that developers face a difficult decision about whether to rent a house or leave it vacant when planning to redevelop a site. “You get stuck with tenants, or you keep it empty and then you’re stuck with homeless people breaking in,” he said. Franke will work with city staff on strategies to address vacant buildings where redevelopment is planned. “Re-evaluate how we are properly securing these buildings. Should they be demolished earlier if no one is living in them [and] they’re slated for redevelopment? I think we need to make sure that residents can feel safe if they are near a vacant building that it will not blow up, [and] it will not be set on fire.” According to municipal records, a Final Order was issued about property standards at 131 Base Line Road West last September, but it was only regarding the condition of a rear garage, not the house that exploded. Determining the cause of the explosion has required investigators to dig through a large pile of rubble. “We have brought in heavy equipment to help our investigators move some of the debris in order for them to continue their investigation regarding the origin, cause, and circumstances,” explained Jim Demetriou of the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office. Meanwhile, Franke is praising the actions of first responders. “I just want to say thank you to our emergency services for their quick response and their assistance in getting that person to the hospital as quickly as possible,” said Franke. Sheikh expressed his own concern about the victim. “There was someone in this in the hospital. Hopefully he’s not in very bad shape,” he said.
