THUNDER BAY — An investigator from the Office of the Fire Marshal is en route to Thunder Bay to look into the cause of a devastating explosion and house fire in the city on Sunday.
Kevin Anderson, acting chief of Thunder Bay Fire Rescue's fire prevention division, said Monday that one person was taken to hospital for treatment of minor burns suffered in the incident that levelled a two-storey brick home on Crown Street.
Another fire department spokesperson had indicated Sunday that two other people also required treatment.
Fire crews remained on the scene Monday morning dealing with remaining hot-spots.
Anderson confirmed there was an explosion and said the fire was very intense "because it appears there was a natural gas leak when the fire occurred. So that intensified the fire."
The fire department also issued a news release reminding the public "to ensure that natural gas appliances are maintained properly."
Anderson said it's not clear how long the investigation will take "because there's lots of debris to remove."
He said "Everything collapsed. So we're gonna have to pick things apart, probably with some heavy equipment, to get down to the origin and cause of this fire."
Minor damage was reported to houses adjacent to the residence that burned.
Enbridge Gas said its technicians responded to the emergency by closing two valves and cutting gas service in the vicinity.
About 59 customers had their service temporarily interrupted as a result.
