Investigations still under way after explosion damages home

Authorities are still investigating the cause of a fire and explosion that displaced four residents and badly damaged a Pembroke home over the weekend. 

Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service staff officer Leonard E. Davis said Tuesday the cause of the fire, which caused a corner third of the roof and upper floor to collapse on the Railway Terrace West home, has yet to be determined. The incident occurred around 2:40am Sunday.

A structural engineer visited the home, located just off Palmetto Road, to assess the integrity of the structure on Monday and Tuesday.  The investigation, said Mr. Davis, “has stalled a bit because the residence is a bit unstable”.

Neighbours of the Pembroke home damaged by what many describe as a loud explosion early Sunday were shocked that no-one was killed by the blast.

All residents escaped the fire relatively unscathed, according to police. A 54-year-old woman had what police described as “relatively minor” burns to her arms and face before escaping the home.

“Just look at that house. I can’t believe it wasn’t worse,” said one woman who refused to give her name.

Many speculated that it was some sort of gas explosion but that could not be confirmed with authorities on Sunday.

The explosion and subsequent fire, which occurred before 3am Sunday, demolished the back corner of the yellow house on Border Lane, located just off Palmetto Road. Part of the roof and one of the floors collapsed. What was once a kitchen was reduced to a pile of rubble and charred wooden framing. The debris was still smoldering late Sunday afternoon.

The house, according to one next-door neighbour, is uninhabitable. The area was still cordoned off by yellow police tape Sunday. “I mean you could slam a door in that thing and the roof could come down,” he said. “Look at the roof. It’s not where it’s supposed to be. It’s like the cap got blown off kilter.”

Neighbours believed that three units in the structure were occupied, although they were unsure how many people were displaced by the explosion. Three of the neighbours agreed that the landlord of the property lived upstairs, while his daughter lived in one of the units downstairs.

Some disagreed about what sound the explosion made — one woman said it was a rapid-fire “bang, bang” — while another neighbour said it was a loud boom.

“I don’t know how to describe it. Like a bomb, I guess,” he said. “There was this loud boom and then all you heard was crumbling.”

Those neighbours who were not awoken by the sounds of the explosion were quickly roused by authorities, who evacuated nearby homes upon arriving at the scene. 

“Everyone just went out as they were,” said one nearby Border Lane resident.

One man said he was not allowed back into his home until 5:30 am.

Another neighbour speculated the explosion was somehow triggered by a refrigerator in the home and that a resident had escaped serious injury by getting up to go to the bathroom. Mr. Davis, however, said Tuesday he could not confirm those details as the matter was still under investigation.