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Kamloops man says explosions knocked him down before Thursday fire on North Shore

Homeowner describes blast

UPDATE: 7:40 P.M.

A series of explosions knocked a Kamloops man to the ground on Thursday as fire tore through his detached garage.

No one was injured in the blaze, which sent a large plume of thick black smoke into the air above the North Shore over the dinner hour.

The family of seven who lives at the home in the 300-block of Linden Avenue were able to get out of the home safely, according to Ryan Cail, assistant chief with Kamloops Fire Rescue.

“They’re all accounted for and safe, and there’s no injury,” Cail said.

Mark Krug, the owner of the home, said he was washing vehicles in front of his house when he noticed black smoke coming from the back.

He said he ran to get the family out of the house, as he knew there were propane and oxyacetylene tanks stored outdoors, between the garage and a shed.

“The next thing you know, it was a big explosion,” Krug said.

“It was just high pressure. My ears were ringing right away, and I just fell to the ground.”

The fire started at about 5:30 p.m. and attracted a significant crowd of neighbourhood onlookers.

Krug said there were two or three explosions that happened in total.

He said windows in the back of his house were blown out and the garage is partially burned down.

“It’s stressful, just kind of wondering what to do next,” Krug said, adding that he wasn’t sure where the family was going to stay for the night.

“We’ll figure something out.”

Cail said the fire was not yet out as of 6:20 p.m., but crews were working to get it under control.

“It’s in a salvage and overhaul stage right now. They’re going through and they’re checking for extension, putting out any hot spots,” he said.

“It’s far from out, but it’s definitely in a much more handleable situation.”

Cail said the incident was reported to KFR as a structure fire. Shortly after they received the call, there were reports of explosions at the location.

Crews noticed heavy smoke and fire on their way to the scene.

“As soon as crews were on scene, there were a couple of little explosions,” Cail said, adding there were oxyacetylene tanks that had exploded as a result of the fire.

Cail said he doesn’t believe the fire extended from the garage to the house, but the home did sustain some exterior damage from the explosion shockwave.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but Cail said the fire prevention branch will be arriving on scene to begin their investigation.


UPDATE: 6:15 P.M.

Neighbours living near the site of an explosion on Thursday in North Kamloops said the sound shook their homes.

Emergency crews were called to a home in the 300-block of Linden Avenue at about 5:30 p.m. for a report of an explosion and a structure fire. Fire crews, police and paramedics remained on scene as of 6:15 p.m., though the smoke had decreased significantly.

A man who lives across the street from the scene of the explosion said he felt multiple explosions followed by a series of popping sounds.

A resident of The Station condo building on Tranquille Road told Castanet Kamloops they felt a significant explosion.

“It sounded like someone drove a car into our building,” they said. “It shook our apartment.”

Castanet Kamloops has a reporter at the scene. This story will be updated when more information is known.


ORIGINAL STORY: 5:44 p.m.

Kamloops Fire Rescue crews are responding to a report of an explosion and a structure fire on the North Shore.

Crews were called to the Linden Avenue area at about 5:30 p.m. Black smoke can be seen in many parts of the North Shore.

A resident in the area told Castanet Kamloops she could feel the explosion.

Castanet Kamloops has a reporter en route. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

If you have photos or videos you’d like to share, send them to [email protected].



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