Fatal house explosion caused by damaged gas line

The Saskatoon Fire Department says a fatal house explosion that happened Saturday morning on Clarence Avenue was caused by damage to a gas line inside the home.

A 59-year-old man was killed in the explosion.

When fire crews arrived at the scene just before 4 a.m. Saturday, they found the house levelled and large debris, vehicles and a detached garage on fire.

Fire spread to the exterior of one of the neighbouring homes but was put out.

In a release, the fire department says there was no evidence of a clandestine lab or hazardous materials and no foul play was involved in the explosion.

It says following the incident, all appropriate integrity checks were completed on SaskEnergy infrastructure. That work has determined the incident was not the result of a SaskEnergy system issue, and there are no system safety concerns arising from the event.

SaskEnergy conducts regular system integrity and maintenance work to ensure safe and reliable natural gas delivery to customers.

Damage is estimated to be $600,000 for the properties involved.