HAMILTON — Three people were taken to hospital after two separate fires involving suspected explosions Thursday morning, with one person reported in critical condition.

Hamilton Fire Chief David Cunliffe told CP24 the incidents on Springside Drive and Lampton Place were unrelated. Investigators had not established a final cause for either incident in the reporting available at publication.

Springside Drive blast felt across the neighbourhood

The earlier incident occurred just after 7:30 a.m. at 182 Springside Dr. on Hamilton Mountain. CHCH reported that residents heard an explosion and felt their homes shake from two streets away.

CHCH’s initial coverage described flames around a two-car garage behind a home. In a subsequent account of the fire chief’s comments to CP24, crews encountered a structure engulfed in fire and debris scattered across the scene.

One person suffered burns and was taken to hospital in serious condition, according to that account. The fire was brought under control.

Two residents rescued on Lampton Place

Crews responded to the second incident at 8 Lampton Pl. in east Hamilton just after 9 a.m. CHCH published images showing a collapsed house.

According to Cunliffe’s comments reported by CP24 and summarized by Sing Tao, neighbours and a person from a nearby industrial business helped rescue two residents. One was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries; the other was in serious condition.

The chief said the Lampton Place fire was suspected to involve gas. That was a preliminary assessment, rather than a confirmed explanation of what caused the explosion.

Separate investigations

The Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority were notified about both incidents, according to the account of Cunliffe’s remarks. The gas company was also notified about the Springside Drive incident.

Both fires were reported under control. The chief said there was no connection between them, despite their occurring in the same city on the same morning.

This is a developing story. Injury information reflects the available reporting at publication and may change.

Sources: CHCH: Fire crews investigate two separate explosions in Hamilton; CP24/CTV reporting reproduced by Headtopics: fire chief’s comments and injury update; CityNews: initial report of the two incidents.

AI-generated editorial illustration for The Northern Current. Firefighting equipment is shown conceptually; this is not a photograph of either incident.