As a ceiling and wall collapse on a woman desperately trying to escape the scene of an explosion at a Quebec propane distribution company, Eric Lizotte can only watch in horror.
The St-Roch-de-l’Achigan, Que., resident, whose home is just meters from Propane Lafortune, said he was trying to rescue the unidentified woman and anyone else trapped by the explosion Thursday morning.
Three people remain unaccounted for after the explosion, which Lizotte says left him shaken and struggling with indelible images, particularly of his aborted rescue attempt.
“As I was trying to remove the debris, I felt this intense heat. It was a furnace. It was amazing. I put snow on my head to try and compensate for the heat as I tried to get closer to the lady. I heard explosions going off in all directions,” Lizotte said in a Saturday interview from her home about 50 kilometers north of Montreal.
“I moved about two feet away from her. At that moment I saw that part of the roof was about to collapse. I hesitated to move forward, and then suddenly it began to collapse, taking part of the opposite wall with it, falling completely on top of it. And seconds later, a fire broke out. There was nothing I could do, so I got out and left.”
Two employees and a subcontractor are still missing as provincial police continue to investigate the blast with the help of police arson technicians. Hydro-Québec is also helping with the probe, according to local officials.
Firefighters work at the scene after an explosion at a propane company, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, in Saint-Roch-de-L’Achigan, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiortz
Police said they do not believe the explosion was a criminal act, but have not determined what caused it.
Lizotte said he was clearing snow from his pickup truck when the explosion occurred. He said that although he didn’t hear anything, he saw part of the roof shoot up into the sky.
“I quickly told my partner to call 911, got into my other car and rushed to the scene. It took me about 45 seconds,” he said.
Lizotte immediately noticed heavy damage to a nearby garage before turning his attention to the entrance to the company’s headquarters.
“Everything had collapsed,” he said. “(The explosion) took away parts of the administrative part.”
The local fire department received calls Thursday morning about an explosion and fire at Propane Lafortune, but the risk of further explosions forced firefighters to retreat and they were able to bring the fire under control only in the evening.
During a press conference Friday, officials said it could take several days before they complete their work on the leveled building.
Quebec Provincial Police spokesman Sgt. Eloise Cosset described the scene as complex.
“We will continue to search the scene with our specialists,” Cossette said. “We still have at least three missing.
Neither police nor Propane Lafortune had an update Saturday on the condition of the missing workers.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on January 14, 2023.
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