One person missing as house collapses after fire

(Update)
One person is still missing after a house fire and collapse in East Hamilton.   Officials say it could be until Tuesday before they missing woman is found.  But they’re not holding out much hope for a positive outcome.

You can see all of the debris from this powerful explosion and fire. Right beside me is the furniture that was once sitting on the front porch but was thrown several meters when the house collapsed Monday afternoon. And the scene is still to unstable for rescue workers to begin a search.

It was a startling scene. Flames pouring out of the house at 315 Wilson Street as firefighters try to organize a search and rescue. A woman lives in the house, but it is not known if she is inside.

The fire began at 12:30pm when an explosion was heard. Neighbors came from their homes to see the flames. Rachel Grills lives just down the street and she could smell smoke from her house: “I thought something must be up and I opened my back door and there smoke billowing over the fence as well as flames shooting up.”

She decided to leave the house, and head to her children’s school. Soon after, firefighters had to evacuate because the structure was unsound. Then, the house collapsed.

Bricks rolled onto the lawn, and glass covered the street. As the afternoon wore on, firefighters were able to protect the buildings on either side, and control the fire. The investigation was turned over to the Ontario Fire Marshals office and representatives from Union Gas are at the site. Overnight, they will try to investigate the cause of the fire, and Tuesday they hope to be able to search the inside to see if anyone is in there.

Jeff Post is with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office: “The investigation into the origin and cause will also include a search, they’ll be no rescue, it’l be a search to see if there’s anybody inside the home.”

Neighbours on one side were too distraught to talk with our camera’s. The woman who lives in the house is believed to be in her 60’s, living alone, with a few pets. Police were also trying to locate her on the chance that she was away at the time but so far, no word.

Union Gas has been here and marked the area where the gas main is.  They will take samples and determine if natural gas was a possible cause of the explosion and fire.   Once crews determine the scene is safe, they will continue their search.