A man suffered serious injuries in an explosion inside the garage of a Merlin home Monday morning.
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Chatham-Kent Fire and Rescue Chief Chris Case said, “When the crew got on scene they found an injured male who now has been taken to Chatham-Kent Health Alliance with a police escort.”
The man was later transferred to a burn unit, stated a CKFR release.
Case said a member of the public helped get the man out of the building at 26 William St.
The Chatham Daily News spoke to a woman who helped the victim, but she did not want to discuss the matter or provide her name.
However, she did say the explosion blew the garage door off.
As for what happened, she said, “It was an explosion fire and then it wanted to a fire.”
Pierre Cleroux, of Blenheim, was driven by when he saw the victim laying in front of the property.
He said person was badly burned.
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“It wasn’t a pretty site.”
Having gone through two house fires himself, Cleroux said, “It’s scary.
“I didn’t want anyone else to go through something like that, so I pulled over and called 911,” he said.
Merlin resident Al Lauzon, who lives nearby, didn’t see the explosion, but he heard it from inside his home.
“It was a loud explosion,” he said. “I thought a semi-truck hit a car.”
As for what triggered to explosion, the fire chief said that has yet to be determined.
Since it was “a serious fire with serious injuries involved,” Case said the Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate.
He said it appears to be a private residence, but it is yet to be determined if someone was operating a business from the property.
Case said the fire was “quickly snuffed out.”
Stations No. 17 Merlin, No. 18 Blenheim, No. 19 Tilbury and No. 16 Raleigh South responded to the call that came in at 7:59 am
Case noted the fire was mainly contained to the garage, but there was some heat damage done nearby buildings.
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