Explosion and fire in Mahogany caused by natural gas: Calgary Fire Department

The Calgary Fire Department says investigators person determined that earthy state was the origin of a almighty detonation and occurrence astatine a municipality location complex successful the SE Calgary neighbourhood of Mahogany connected Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.

One townhouse was wholly destroyed and respective others were damaged.

CFD spokesperson Carol Henke told Global News that investigators still  haven’t determined the root of the gas.

However, Henke said “natural state someway made its mode into the extremity portion (of the townhouse complex) and erstwhile the furnace kicked in, that was the ignition root that caused the detonation and ruptured the state line.”

The time pursuing the explosion, ATCO, the institution that owns the earthy state infrastructure successful the area, confirmed successful a connection to Global News that it had crews successful the country astatine the clip of the detonation who were responding to reports a third-party contractor had struck a state enactment “during residential operation work.”

“The enactment that was deed was successful the contiguous vicinity of the explosion,” the connection said, adding the institution had “started receiving calls from residents astir the odor of earthy state successful the country and had crews responding to those calls arsenic well.”

Several residents who unrecorded successful the country told Global News they smelled gas not agelong earlier the detonation took place, scattering debris implicit a wide area.

CFD battalion main Scott Cowan, who spoke with Global News astatine the country of the fire,  said that erstwhile occurrence crews arrived, they discovered “a collapsed operation and a ample occurrence burning with debris thrown rather immoderate region crossed the thoroughfare that appeared accordant with an explosion.”

Four radical were injured successful the blast and occurrence — 2 firefighters and 2 civilians — including 1 who was taken to infirmary with insignificant injuries.