At least one person hospitalized following violent explosion that rocked the Allandale area just before noon Saturday
Barrie’s Allandale neighbourhood was rocked by an explosion late Saturday morning that sent at least one person to hospital with what officials are calling “serious injuries.”
The Barrie Fire and Emergency Service received the call shortly before noon, Deputy Chief Eric MacFadden told BarrieToday, adding information on what caused the incident is still unknown as crews are remain at the scene on Marshall Street, just north of Little Avenue.
“It’s a very active incident. Crews are still trying to extinguish some fires. It will be an active scene for a while this way, and then it will be turned over to the Office of the Fire Marshal for investigation,” he said.
After receiving the initial call, MacFadden said the fire department immediately upgraded the alarm, and responded with six trucks and two dozen firefighters.
“We have now called in extra crews, because it’s obviously a very hot day as well, and that adds another factor to it as well, in making sure we are taking care of our people as we are working to extinguish the fire,” he said. “Crews are doing an awesome job.”
One person has been taken to hospital via ambulance with what MacFadden called “significant injury.” However, whether that person was in the home at the time of the reported explosion is still unknown.
“I don’t know the state of where they were at the time,” MacFadden said.
Jim and Karen Holmes live on Jane Crescent, which backs onto Marshall Street, and said the explosion shook their house.
“I thought the big tree behind my house had fallen on my house. It was really scary,” said Jim. “It was like this big ‘whoomp’ — like a shockwave. I thought our huge maple tree crashed on our roof.”
The feeling, added Karen, was “out of this world.”
When the couple couldn’t find anything on the house, they went outside to see if any of their neighbours had witnessed anything, only to find everyone out on their lawns and smoke billowing from the next block over.
“I’m told it’s a young family and one person was pulled out. I couldn’t believe it when I walked up to have a look. It was gone. Literally, just imploded,” Jim said, adding he heard a second, smaller explosion following the first one.
The couple is worried but hopeful no one was killed, adding they had heard the young family had only recently moved into the home.
“We are devastated for the family,” said Karen.
As of 1 p.m., the two homes on either side of the destroyed home had been evacuated, said MacFadden, and the immediate area has been cordoned off, but many people remain in the area watching as crews work to extinguish the fire, he noted.
“We are still working to isolate some of the utilities, just to ensure we make it safe for everybody else,” he said.
The following video was taken by Jim Holmes.