An explosion in a 12-unit, three-story apartment building less than a mile from Parliament killed a man on Thursday and injured three people, sending rubble flying a full block away. Police believed the explosion was caused either by natural gas or propane. Witnesses said they smelled gas immediately after the blast at about 9:30 a.m., but there was no confirmation the explosion was caused by a gas leak. Two hours after the explosion, firefighters rescued a middle-age woman trapped inside her apartment. She was taken to a hospital. Three other people were taken to the Ottawa Civic Hospital earlier. One man, not identified, was pronounced dead on arrival. A dog brought in by police searched for more possible victims. Flying debris damaged cars and nearby downtown buildings. Bill Maxwell, the landlord of two nearby buildings, said the explosion sent ``huge chunks of concrete, the size of television sets'' hurtling through the air. Cab driver Steve Legault was returning to his nearby apartment when he heard the blast. As he ran toward the building, he encountered a dazed and bleeding woman. ``She was delirious and was crying that her 7-year-old son was still in the apartment.'' Legault said he ran into the building and saw a man lying halfway out of a doorway in a pool of blood. ``He was covered with blood and his head had deep cuts in it. I checked and I think he was dead.'' John Kalina, 36, who lives one block north, said the explosion ``sounded like someone was kicking our door in.'' The building is in a fashionable neighborhood of renovated older homes, townhouses, boutiques and restaurants.
An explosion Thursday in a 12-unit, three-story Ottawa apartment building in a fashionable renovated area less than a mile from the Canadian Parliament killed a man and injured three people. Rubble, including concrete chunks the size of TVs, was sent flying as much as a full block away and damaged cars and nearby downtown buildings. The blast occurred at about 9:45 a.m. on the first floor of an eight-storey building, which is home to several government ministries. Witnesses smelled gas immediately after the 9:30 AM blast. Two hours after the blast, firefighters rescued a middle-aged woman trapped inside her apartment. A dog brought in by police searched for other possible victims.