Edmonton Explosion

[karrie]

Three dead after explosion rocks north Edmonton neighbourhood

This explosion has rocked dozens of families, and even friends of mine were in the shockwave that resulted from it. One home is completely destroyed, nothing left of it but a hole in the ground apparently, and neighbouring homes have been knocked off their foundations. No reason for the blast has been given yet, but, given the severity, the assumption seems to be gas main. 3 people are dead, and some still unaccounted for.

 

[karrie]

Deadly explosion rattles Edmonton neighbourhood - CTV News

In the wake of this disaster, one of the highlights of the story for me has been the people who dove into destroyed homes to pull people out before emergency crews could arrive. Virtually every story surrounding this describes people running to the source of the explosion and doing anything they could to find survivors in the neighbouring homes. Other articles describe the Red Cross efforts to ensure everyone is housed following the destruction. Community... it's a wonderful thing.

 

[talloola]

Deadly explosion rattles Edmonton neighbourhood - CTV News

In the wake of this disaster, one of the highlights of the story for me has been the people who dove into destroyed homes to pull people out before emergency crews could arrive. Virtually every story surrounding this describes people running to the source of the explosion and doing anything they could to find survivors in the neighbouring homes. Other articles describe the Red Cross efforts to ensure everyone is housed following the destruction. Community... it's a wonderful thing.

just heard on the news, that they now are suspecting foul play, and investigating further.

 

[Liberalman]

just heard on the news, that they now are suspecting fowl play, and investigating further.

I believe it fowl play would be the only answer a lot of homes in Edmonton use natural gas and not many of them blow up for no reason.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

just heard on the news, that they now are suspecting fowl play, and investigating further.

Heh heh... Takes a smart person to make a really first class typo. Do you suspect a methane explosion from fermenting chicken manure... ? Surely foul play is what you meant. Not to minimize the seriousness of the situation though. One of my brothers lives not far from the explosion site and I haven't been able to get hold of him, so I'm a little concerned.

 

[Chiliagon]

well, I don't think it's a terrorist attack, I believe that it was possibly gang related

 

[AnnaG]

My sympathies.
Sounds like a natgas incident.
Same thing happened about a half block away from our house in Kloneville when we lived there but not quite as bad, though. Guy came home and flicked on the light as he went in the door. It blew him across the yard into the fence, windows all around were gone, front of the house was a mess. They figured the pilot light on the furnace went out.
Nasty business that gas stuff.

 

[talloola]

Heh heh... Takes a smart person to make a really first class typo. Do you suspect a methane explosion from fermenting chicken manure... ? Surely foul play is what you meant. Not to minimize the seriousness of the situation though. One of my brothers lives not far from the explosion site and I haven't been able to get hold of him, so I'm a little concerned.

lol got it

when the pilot light goes out on our little family room gas stove, gas automatically shuts off, isn't that
the way it is suppose to happen, or is that something new, I mean pilots can go out from wind in the area
etc, as our little stove is piped straight out behind the stove to the outside, and wind can back into
that area, and it did go out a couple of time last winter, no gas smell at all, it's instantly off.

 

[karrie]

The Calgary Herald has before and after photos...

http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/3179787.bin?size=620x400
http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/3179157.bin?size=620x400

Very disturbing.

And apparently there was no gas smell in the neighbourhood so it sounds like they are not thinking natural gas. The shockwave apparently was too large as well, though I don't know about these things.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

...gas automatically shuts off, isn't that the way it is suppose to happen...

Yes, there's a thermocouple at the pilot light that should shut off the gas valve when the heat of the flame disappears, but sometimes things break. Most modern gas appliances don't have pilot lights anymore though, they have an electronic ignition not much different from a spark plug, but they still should have a fail safe mechanism: if the gas comes on and the ignition fails, the lack of heat should trigger a shut off circuit after a second or two at most. A lot of things have to go wrong to get a natural gas explosion in a house.

 

[AnnaG]

The Calgary Herald has before and after photos...

http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/3179787.bin?size=620x400
http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/3179157.bin?size=620x400

Very disturbing.

And apparently there was no gas smell in the neighbourhood so it sounds like they are not thinking natural gas. The shockwave apparently was too large as well, though I don't know about these things.

No-one smelled gas in the neighborhood in Kelowna either. Houses the past couple or 3 decades are pretty airtight (gastight?)to conserve energy.

 

[shadowshiv]

Three dead after explosion rocks north Edmonton neighbourhood

This explosion has rocked dozens of families, and even friends of mine were in the shockwave that resulted from it. One home is completely destroyed, nothing left of it but a hole in the ground apparently, and neighbouring homes have been knocked off their foundations. No reason for the blast has been given yet, but, given the severity, the assumption seems to be gas main. 3 people are dead, and some still unaccounted for.

While it is sad that three people lost their lives in the explosion, I am thankful that it was none of my friends here(or their families)that it happened to.

 

[karrie]

No-one smelled gas in the neighborhood in Kelowna either. Houses the past couple or 3 decades are pretty airtight (gastight?)to conserve energy.

It seems to me a house full enough of natural gas to create this serious of an explosion, would have smelled plenty throughout the neighbourhood. Houses are specifically NOT totally airtight thanks to fresh air intakes. But, the investigators will obviously know more than the guesses of a housewife. lol.

While it is sad that three people lost their lives in the explosion, I am thankful that it was none of my friends here(or their families)that it happened to.

I breathed a sigh of relief too shadow... it was very close to friends of mine.

 

[shadowshiv]

It seems to me a house full enough of natural gas to create this serious of an explosion, would have smelled plenty throughout the neighbourhood. Houses are specifically NOT totally airtight thanks to fresh air intakes. But, the investigators will obviously know more than the guesses of a housewife. lol.



I breathed a sigh of relief too shadow... it was very close to friends of mine.

When I first saw the article, I honestly was hoping that it was not your house that it had happened to. That is the worst part about having friends that live so far away; not being able to find out if they are okay right away after something tragic happens.

I am truly thankful that your friends were not hurt.

 

[karrie]

okay, so.... I mentioned on Tuesday to a firefighter I know from Ed that I was freaked out about the notion that my house could just go up like that due to a natural gas explosion, and he assured me that it most certainly could not 'accidentally' go up in the way this one did due to ng, and that in this case the explosion was caused, with the addition of other gas canisters, and that the speculation of the news in regards to homicide only being called in after the female victim was found, is not idle speculation. So, it appears foul play was afoot. Sad news for the family next door, who lost fiance and future step father, as well as another friend, to the explosion.

 

[Colpy]

And then things got REALLY weird.....according to the CBC the female victim discovered in the house was "bound and wrapped", whatever the hell THAT means!

Something very fishy in Denmark.

 

[bobnoorduyn]

It could certainly take a while before the investigators come to a conclusion and everything here is speculation. However, the last time we heated with gas was while living in a relatively new house north of Edmonton. We had two furnaces, we were constantly getting whiffs of gas, (natual gas, propane,etc. are naturaly odourless, the smell is added). The gas company came out and detected nothing amiss and suspected our septic vents were frozen. It wasn't until we convinced a neighbour, (a furnace installer) to come over. It took him a while, but he found that the valve to one of the furnaces was leaking, something that never happens, but did.

On another note, I know a fellow who pulled off an insurance scam, he left a propane bottle in his basement and allowed it to leak slowly. It worked a little too well and he barely survived when things went off a little prematurely. I guess any possibilities have to be entertained at this stage.

 

[VanIsle]

It could certainly take a while before the investigators come to a conclusion and everything here is speculation. However, the last time we heated with gas was while living in a relatively new house north of Edmonton. We had two furnaces, we were constantly getting whiffs of gas, (natual gas, propane,etc. are naturaly odourless, the smell is added). The gas company came out and detected nothing amiss and suspected our septic vents were frozen. It wasn't until we convinced a neighbour, (a furnace installer) to come over. It took him a while, but he found that the valve to one of the furnaces was leaking, something that never happens, but did.

On another note, I know a fellow who pulled off an insurance scam, he left a propane bottle in his basement and allowed it to leak slowly. It worked a little too well and he barely survived when things went off a little prematurely. I guess any possibilities have to be entertained at this stage.

We had a situation similar to your own in our last house. We kept smelling gas and we knew it was coming from our gas hot water tank. The tank was in a closed closet as a part of my laundry room but the room was vented. We called the builder in several times and each time, they said - Nothing wrong, it's just the vent pushing the smell back into the house a little - no worries. So - we didn't worry but if it was stronger than usual, we used to close the door between the main part of the house and the laundry room. Finally, after the builder insisted that there was also nothing wrong with the furnace, we called in another company. They fixed the furnace and they checked for gas leaks around the HWT. The tank was leaking gas. They repaired that as well. It cost us over $200.00 for the whole thing but - we felt much safer and we didn't sell a house with a leaky gas HWT so in that regard, we left the next person safe and sound.
When our poor old puppy dog became diabetic and often times could not hold his urine through the night - we gated him into the laundry room (lino - no carpet). I was afraid that the gas might kill him so we used to block the door to our garage open about 6 inches so that he always had fresh air coming in.