Explosion shakes St. James
A quiet residential pocket of west St. James was shaken by an explosion in sewer lines on Monday evening.
The explosion was thought to be caused after two 45-gallon containers holding discarded gasoline and oil behind Princess Auto at 3292 Portage Ave. were tipped over and set on fire by vandals about 7 p.m.
Firefighter checks for explosive gases in storm sewer after explosion.
The fuel apparently entered the sewer system, causing several manhole covers to pop up.
Dan Brechka said he was out for a walk along Byrd Avenue -- the street is behind the mall where Princess Auto is located -- and saw manhole covers jump about half a metre in the air.
"I heard it go 'pook' and I saw these two manholes out of place," the 19-year Westwood resident said.
Winnipeg fire crews, police and Manitoba Conservation's emergency response unit were at the scene, and had blocked off vehicle traffic along Westwood Drive.
A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service at the scene would only say no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
Dean Kasur, environment officer for Manitoba Conservation, said the investigation was still in the assessment stage.
"We're still determining what happened," he said.
Employees at Princess Auto gathered in the parking lot outside the store, and said they believed the explosion was the work of vandals, as a similar tip-over incident had occurred at a nearby pharmacy a week ago.
Many people living on streets behind the mall where Princess Auto is located were evacuated -- they were told to leave the doors to their homes open and walk east to Westwood Drive and await further instruction from rescue officials.
Environment officials on the scene were unable to immediately say what hazards could be presented by gasoline in the sewer system.
james.turner@freepress.mb.ca
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