The cause of the Sunday explosion at a residence at the intersection of Retallack and Sixth has been determined.
Regina Fire and protective services said this afternoon that the building had a gas line that was compromised.
An ignition source could not be located, and they have turned the investigation over to the Regina Police Service for a follow-up.
The site continues to be fenced in, and a nearby apartment complex that suffered significant structural damage will be demolished.
Regina Fire & Protective Services (RFPS) responded to the scene of an explosion at a residence in the area of 6th Avenue and Retallack Street just before 11 a.m. on Sunday, which destroyed a residential building.
Gord Hewitt, the deputy chief of RFPS, said that as a result of the explosion, one person suffered minor injuries when the blast blew out a window and two people were displaced.
He added that the landlord confirmed the property was vacant.
Darlene Shepherd, who lives about two blocks away, said she was in bed when she heard a blast that “rocked the whole neighbourhood.” Her nephew, Hawk Obey, was in the house, too, watching TV and they both looked at each other and wondered what had happened.
“I thought it was a car banging into a building but it was so, so powerful,” Shepherd said, adding she heard sirens converge on the neighbourhood from every direction in the moments afterward.
“Everybody down the block came out and asked each other, ‘What was that?’” Obey added.
Obey said the block around the explosion site was quickly sealed off by police, so he wasn’t able to see any of the damage.
A number of people on social media have said they heard and felt the explosion in other parts of the city.
with files from The Canadian Press
