‘Some type of closure would be great for them, because they’re just in absolute shock,’ said a relative of one of the victims
Families facing uncertainty after being forced from their homes by an explosion and fire at a northeast townhouse complex hope an investigation into the cause brings answers.
Despite six injuries, no deaths were reported. It’s not known what caused the explosion.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson from the Calgary Fire Department said investigations are likely to take a long time due to the extensive damage.
Ivania Rugama and Mario Bautista were among the six people taken to hospital following the blaze, along with Mario’s stepson, Lenin Pastran, who is still in hospital with severe burns.
Helen Pena, Rugama’s niece, described the past few days as a “roller-coaster of emotions” for the family.
“We’re all thankful that they’re still alive, but it’s hard to be relying on everyone else to help,” Pena said. “That uncertainty kind of has them really down.
“They don’t know how they’re going to come out of this,” she said.
Based on her aunt’s account, Pena says the explosion came out of nowhere.
“There (were) no signs of something like this going to happen and, of course, they’ve been in shock ever since,” she said.
‘We have no idea what could have caused this’
Three of the townhomes were destroyed, while a fourth has been deemed uninhabitable.
Owen Defoe and his wife, Ashley, along with their two young kids, are among those who lost everything when they fled their charred unit following the explosion.
On Monday, while visiting what remains of their home, Owen said: “It’s like a war zone, almost, right? I’m still trying to come to grips with it.”
Like the other victims of the blaze, Owen has no clue what caused the explosion.
Pena said, “I think it just rattled all of us.”
Residents have said previously that a couple lived in the house at the source of the explosion, and were taken to hospital following the incident.
“We had initially thought it was a gas leak, but from what the firefighters and the investigators are saying, they’re kind of speculating that it wasn’t,” said Pena.
She says they have not gotten a definitive answer as to the cause, acknowledging that a “deep investigation” is underway.
“Some type of closure would be great for them, because they’re just in absolute shock,” Pena said.
“Carbon monoxide, all these, like fire alarms, and nothing went off, so we have no idea what could have caused this.”
— With files from Gavin Young