Fire officials continue to probe a house explosion in Kitchener.
It happened just before midnight Sunday at 429 Activa Avenue.
Assistant Platoon Chief Robert Gilmore tells 570 News four people were transported to hospital with undetermined injuries.
He says the early damage estimate is $500,000.
Gilmore says the cause is under investigation and the Fire Marshal’s Office will be contacted.
He expects firefighters to remain on the scene throughout Monday morning and probably into the midday trying to extinguish spot fires they have not been able to get to due to the collapse.
Video of fire recorded by Harry Scanlan on Twitter @footose
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We are on Gravel Ridge & Isaiah – we heard the explosion just before midnight and my husband went running to the scene. He was the man who grabbed the mother off of the burning rubble as she was looking for her daughter. My husband is in the Canadian Forces and is familiar with explosions, he was afraid it may explode again so he grabbed her to bring her to safety and lead her to a police car that had just arrived. The father, son & mother had gotten out on their own. About 10 minutes after Fire Crews arrived they pulled the daughter from the rubble. She was awake when they pulled her, but we have not heard anything further on her condition or the injuries of the other members. My husband identified himself as a soldier and the police allowed him to assist on scene with the family until it was secured by fire fighters and then he assisted with crowd control. Although a tragedy, it was great to see so many complete strangers getting together to help in anyway they could. As of 5 pm today, police and fire are still on scene. Our thoughts go out to the family and we thank the other neighbours who came to help as well!
I live in the same neighborhood and I pass-by this house every morning and evening and really sad to see it turned into ashes…
I’m on Snowdrop & the same thing, the house shook, heard a bang. It woke me up. When I looked outside front & back I didn’t see any activity so just thought I was imagining things. That poor family!
This happened just meters from my house. All of a sudden our house shook and we heard a loud pop. My son looked out and saw the house gone! My husband ran down there and a mother got up from the road in front of the house and was screaming that she couldn’t find her daughter. My husband and a few other men tried to look through some the debris but first responders came and evacuated the area. We have been up all night worried about the family! My children go to school with the victims! God bless them! I don’t know how anyone could walk away from that!!!