Explosion destroys home in Regina Beach, Saskatchewan

A ruptured natural gas pipeline has been identified as a "contributing factor" to an explosion thatdestroyed a house and damaged several other buildings in Regina Beach, northwest of Regina, Wednesday.

Officials in the town also declared an emergency and ordered residents in an area 800 metres around the explosion to leave their homes.

Officials said natural gas service and water would be shut off.

The evacuation applied to people who live on the following streets:

• 1st St. E.
• 2nd St. E.
• 3rd St. E.,
• Centre Street
• 3rd Ave. E.

People were told that if they drain water house lines or retrieve pets, they must go to the South Shore School at 1515-7thAve. to arrange for an escort to take them to their home.

• Website: Town of Regina Beach

Everyone CBC News spoke to in the community said they heard or felt the explosion.

Judy Hebert said the explosion happened before her eyes as she was washing dishes, around 2:30 p.m. CST. The force of the blast blew her window out.

"There's a house just down the street from me, half of it is gone," she told CBC News. "Half the post office is gone. There's shrapnel. Butler's [Fish and Chips] windows are blown right out."

The owners of the cottage that was levelled,Mark and Kathy Oldershaw, said no one was inside the buildingon the 200 block of First Streetat the time.

RCMP said several homes on the block were affected by the explosion.

The mayor of Regina Beach, Cameron Hart, told CBC News that there were no reports of injuries.

Emergency crews were dispatched immediately.

Hebert said people in the area also reacted quickly to what happened.

"The townspeople just went around to all the houses and made sure they got out safely and took them out to the Home Hardware, so everybody's good," she said.

In a news release, SaskEnergy, the provincial Crown corporation that supplies natural gas for heating systems, said crews have identified an underground pipeline leak that is "believed to be a contributing factor" in the explosion.

The company said crews were working to repair the leak and ensure the distribution system was safe.