Two people were taken to hospital after being struck by shards of glass when the house next door exploded.
The Pine Street home was reduced to rubble around 8:20 p.m. on Feb. 27, according to a Nanaimo RCMP media release. The sound of the blast was heard around the city.
Police and the fire department were on scene within minutes and officers detected a strong natural gas odour coming from the debris, according to police. The explosion knocked down a nearby power line and interrupted the RCMP detachment’s phone service for about 20 minutes, police said.
“No one was located in the debris field. A neighbouring home sustained significant damage from the blast and two of its occupants were taken to the Nanaimo hospital for treatment after being struck by shards of broken glass,” the release reads.
RCMP said they believe the home was empty at the time of the explosion, since the last tenants were evicted at the end of January.
Police, the fire department, ambulance, BC Hydro and Fortis were on scene for most of the evening. Police will re-examine the debris field today and attempt to determine the cause of the blast.
Anyone with information on the incident can call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345 and quote file # 2022-6847.
