Prince George explosion victim in critical care. RCMP say cause appears suspicious

One person is in critical care, and two more are under observation following an explosion and fire that rocked downtown Prince George, B.C., Tuesday morning.

It happened around 7 a.m. PT in the former Achillion restaurant, which is under new ownership and which police say was unoccupied. Houses shook as far as five kilometres away as flames and smoke shot into the air.

Lisa Bolton was in her downtown room when her window shook, causing her to be "blown back," she said.

"There was a huge, black cloud of smoke," she said. "We saw a ladyscreaming.Acouple of people went to hospital."

Video footage taken in the aftermath shows a woman being helped out of the rubble as a man calls for help.

WATCH | Video footage of the fire and a victim emerging:

Victims emerge from rubble of Prince George, B.C. explosion

12 months ago

Duration 0:36

Video captured in the aftermath of a downtown Prince George explosion shows an injured person emerging from the rubble. Lisa and Dwayne Bolton were there and describe what they saw.

Heather Ziebart, the owner of Daydream Donutstwo doors down from the explosion, said she and a few other employees were almost "knocked off their feet'' by "a large kaboom."

"We ran out of the building to see what was happening,'' she said. "We thought at first something might have hit our building.''

Ziebart said one of the people injured was a city worker, who she saw being helped away from the scene by a homeless person.

The city of Prince George confirmed one of its employees was injured in the explosion but did not provide an update on their condition.

Watch | RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Cooper says a number of peopleinjured:

At least 3 injured in explosion in downtown Prince George, B.C.

12 months ago

Duration 3:53

An explosion at an abandoned restaurant rocked the city early Aug. 22.

Northern Health confirmed three people had been admitted to hospital,two by ambulance and one by private vehicle. A person with critical injuries is being transferred to a different location, the health authority said, with two others stable but being monitored.

Officials say it's possible other people were injured but have not been taken for treatment.Nearby businesses and residents said people often sleep around the building.

Cpl. Jennifer Cooper appealed for anyone with footage of the time before, during or after the explosion to come forward so they could get a better understanding of how many people may have been hurt, and possible causes.

RCMP investigating

The explosion has closed many businesses along Fourth Avenue, including a family-owned restaurant, cafe and multiple gift and clothing stores.

Shattered glass from several businesses was seen scattered on thearea's sidewalks as owners waitedto be able to assess the extent of the damage.

RCMPsaid Tuesday afternoon the incident is being treated as suspicious, but they are still in the early stages of investigation.

Fire investigators have not been able to fully assess the scene as crews are still working to put out hot spots, said Deputy Fire Chief Clayton Sheen.

"Explosions are so chaotic," he said. "There's a lot to deal with."

Asked about a possible cause, Chapman said it was still too early to say, but natural gas was present and "there's only a few things that can cause an explosion like that, and natural gas is certainly one of them."

Power to the area was cut off Tuesday morning, and FortisBCand B.C. Hydro were also at the scene.

Both RCMP and fire rescue said they have no evidence of any fatalities or that anyone was inside the building, but they are still in the early stages of their investigation.

Chapman said he has been in touch with the building owner, Dan McLaren of Commonwealth CampusFinancial, who told him everything was in working order as of the day before the explosion and that it was subject to regular checks.

In an interview with CBC News on Tuesday, McLarensaid he was "very concerned" about the status of people injured.

"It's just a tragedy to begin with, and to think that it happened in one of our buildings is just terrible," he said.

'Not a safe area': RCMP

Policeblocked off a full block in every direction around the site of the explosion, with streets between 3rd Avenue and 5th Avenue from George Street to Dominion Street closed.

The public has been asked to avoid the area, which includes theWood Innovation and Research Centre used by the provincial government and the University of Northern British Columbia. Chapman said the exterior of that building was damaged as well, with some flames getting stuck behind the panelling.

And while Chapman could not confirm asbestos was in the air, he said it was not unlikely given the age of the building and the fact it was being completely demolished.

Cooper said crews are working to clean the area and open some streets but asked the public to be patient and give them time to work and make sure the area is no longer dangerous.

"This is not a safe area for the public to be in today," she said.

In a statement, Downtown Prince George executive director Collen Van Mookcalled the incident "heart-wrenching," pointing out that many of the closed businesses were planning to hold a block party this Saturday but will now be dealing with cleanup and insurance.

For many, it's just the latest challenge as business owners say they have been dealing with increased fires, vandalism and petty theft over the past few years.

Mary Simoes, whose specialtydress shop was among those to lose its windows, said she's already had to replace them several times over the past year.

"We literally just had these windows replaced from our last big break-in," she said, looking at the shattered glass outside her building. "This is a bit of a kick."

Randy Wilson, who owns an antique and collectible shop, said he's been frustrated with people lighting fires outside of his building, which is made of wood.

"I'm frustrated with the whole thing, the whole downtown core,'' he said.

Simoes said she and several other businesses were planning a meeting with the city to discuss the issues.

"Just when you don't think it can get worse, it's beyond that."

WATCH | Vertical footage of the explosion:

Explosion levels building in downtown Prince George

12 months ago

Duration 0:39

An explosion and fire at the former Achillion restaurant levelled the building and damaged several others in downtown Prince George, B.C., early Aug. 22.