Okotoks RCMP and Foothills emergency services were alerted to a natural gas explosion on a rural property at approximately 8:23 p.m. on May 20.
RCMP, EMS, and the Foothills Fire Department attended the scene, where a 36-year-old man was transported to a Calgary hospital with serious injuries sustained in the explosion.
“We heard a boom earlier (in the evening) and it sounded like someone had run into our house with a vehicle,” said Mike Bell, who lives with his wife Samantha about two miles east of the property. “A while later we were looking out the window and there was this huge black cloud, so we rushed over there to see what was going on.”
By the time the Bells arrived to the scene, the flames were about 30 feet tall.
A friend of the Bells who lives directly next door to the property was one of the first to respond to the scene with other close neighbours.
“A bunch of them went over as soon as they heard the explosion and figured out that (the owner) was in the shop,” said Bell.
Bell’s friend told him the family had just gotten home from camping over the long weekend and found a gas smell in his shop. The owner reportedly attempted to open the garage door to air out the shop, when the electric garage door opener triggered the explosion.
“There was few of them over there when (someone) said that the (owner) was still in the shop,” said Bell. “At that point there was the explosion but not a big fire yet.”
Bystanders began to look for the homeowner before finding him conscious and aware beneath some of the rubble, prior to the arrival of emergency services.
After getting him out, he was attended to by EMS before taking him by ambulance to a hospital in Calgary.
“We’re two miles east and we felt it like it was next door to our house, so I can’t even imagine being inside it when it happened,” said Bell.
Praising the work of the emergency services, Bell described the fire services as a “well-oiled machine” that had the situation under control quickly.
While the large plume of smoke could be seen from Calgary, officials have indicated there is no risk to the public.
At the time of publication, there was no further information on the incident or cause.
“There’s nothing else to add because it’s still under investigation,” said Jon Cormier, southern Alberta’s media relations officer with the RCMP.
“(The RCMP) is waiting for the fire department to give them their report.”
RCMP and Foothills Fire Service remain on the scene.
The investigation into the exact cause of the explosion continues.
