Nanaimo explosion levels home, sends 2 to hospital

Two people were taken to hospital in Nanaimo, B.C., after an explosion destroyed a vacant home and scattered debris over a wide area near the city's downtown core.

The blast happened Sunday at about 8:20 p.m. in the 300-block of Pine Street, near the intersection with Fitzwilliam Street.

The explosion "levelled the house" and caused significant damage to a neighbouring home, where two people suffered injuries from flying debris and "shards of glass," according to Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson Const. Gary O'Brien.

Four other patients were treated at the scene for minor injuries, according to B.C. Emergency Health Services.

Emergency crews remained on scene in overnight Sunday and into Monday morning. (CTV News)

"I haven’t been that scared in my life," said Nanaimo resident Shayla King.

King was in the process of moving out of her apartment nearby. She says she was standing outside by her truck when she heard a buzzing noise – then a 'boom' as she saw the sky turn orange.

"I looked at my brother and started crying," she said. "The truck was shaking. The ground was shaking. And then the power went out."

King and others thought it might’ve been a bomb or an earthquake – with the latter sending many in the neighbourhood onto the street.

"I just heard the loudest crash," resident Todd Cameron told CTV News. "It sounded like either a tree hit the house or the roof caved in."

EXPLOSION UNDER INVESTIGATION

Investigators believe the explosion was caused by a natural gas leak, but FortisBC says it’s still under investigation.

"When we arrived, we found damage to a line from the natural gas meter and gas leaking from it," said spokesperson, Lauren Lea, in a statement.

"Our crews isolated the meter and brought gas under control safety as quickly as possible."

Cameron said it felt like the explosion reverberated across Nanaimo.

"It just basically rocked the whole city," he said. "It was just unbelievable how loud it was here even two blocks away."

Drone footage shows debris from the explosion scattered across the area. (CTV News)

Police say the home was vacant as the previous tenants were evicted about a month ago.

The force of the explosion damaged nearby properties – shattering windows and cracking at least one door.

'RAINING THROUGH THE KITCHEN'

One homeowner across the street said she was watching the news on TV when she heard the explosion. The power of it threw her off her couch, and then she went into her kitchen to find the skylights had blown off the roof.

"It was raining through the kitchen," said Lisa Cook. "It was just crazy. And then we went and looked [outside] and we could see the house was on the road."

The blast also knocked down a nearby power pole and disrupted phone service to the Nanaimo RCMP detachment for about 20 minutes, according to O'Brien.

Emergency crews remained on scene overnight Sunday and into Monday morning. Investigators returned Monday to investigate the cause of the blast, which was expected to include a look at the basement.

With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Yvonne Raymond