Family friend says man injured in Saturday’s explosion succumbed to his injuries this morning; police, fire marshal say investigation is ongoing
Family, friends and complete strangers are demonstrating the true meaning of the word community, as they rally around a Barrie family who lost everything when their Marshall Street home exploded just before noon on Saturday.
According to fire officials, one person was critically injured in the blast, and was taken via ambulance to local hospital before being transferred to a Toronto area trauma centre.
Online posts from a friend of the family responding to requests to help from the public indicate the man — identified as Ryan — died from his injuries Sunday morning, however police have yet to confirm that detail.
“As you all should know, sadly the girls, and Ryan’s son lost their dad, and my best friend lost her husband this morning. This has been extremely hard for all of us to take in and I have been the one with them every second,” wrote Erin Blaire online. “(They’re) heartbroken, and I just got Colleen, the mom to be able to rest.”
On the day of the incident neighbours identified the injured man only as Ryan, noting they did not believe the rest of the family, including wife Colleen McEachern and the couple’s two daughters — ages 11 and 13 — or the two dogs, were home at the time of the incident.
The house was completely levelled by the blast, leaving the family without a place to live and having lost all of their personal belongings.
In response to public requests for help, friends Amanda Hobbs and Amanda Root reached out to the community via Facebook Saturday evening to collect donations of clothing, supplies and money as the family attempts to come to terms with the tragedy.
While Hobbs and Root declined interview requests, Hobbs shared that the Allandale community immediately started offering support and in response, the two have set up a collection point at 52 Peacock Lane for people to donate items and express their kindness.
They also created a GoFundMe — which as of 2 p.m. Sunday had raised more than $11,685, surpassing its initial $10,000 goal in just a few hours.
According to the online fundraising page, McEachern and their two daughters are safe, but they are now faced with the unimaginable emotional and financial challenge after the loss of not only their home and their belongings, but also their sense of stability.
Funds raised will cover urgent needs such as temporary housing, basic living expenses, clothing, food and school supplies for the girls. Additional support will go toward pet care costs and long-term rebuilding efforts.
“Our community has rallied before in times of crisis, and we know we can do it again. Every donation—big or small—will help provide the family with a safe place to stay, meet their daily needs, and ease some of the heavy burden they are carrying,” Hobbs and Root wrote on the page.
“The more people who know, the more support we can bring to this family in their time of need.”
Another online post by Blaire on the Barrie Moms’ Group Facebook page noted Ryan was initially on life support, but shared later that “sadly Ryan has passed away this morning.”
“The family has suffered significant losses, including all their personal belongings. Any support, whether financial or otherwise, would be greatly appreciated. The girls are presently staying with me and are doing their best to cope,” Blaire wrote, noting they are seeking girls’ size-11 clothing as well as teen sized 13 clothing.
“Donations can be made through me. While I would have liked to set up a fundraising page, this is the most convenient option for now,” she added. “They play/ love baseball, love girlie stuff, (and) maybe some stuff to keep their minds occupied … Funds will be transferred directly to Colleen McEachern to ensure they go straight to the family’s immediate needs.”
Police and investigators from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office are still on scene examining what is left from yesterday’s explosion, Peter Leon, communications coordinator for Barrie police, confirmed Sunday afternoon.
“The OFM have the training and expertise that is required and necessary to sift through the debris and hopefully determine what caused this explosion to take place,” he said. “These types of investigations can take some time, especially if there are items located that require further examination.”
No further details are available at this time, he added.