Regina police seek public's help with investigation into exploded house

Regina police are asking the public for any information or evidence potentially related to a building that exploded in the city's North Central neighbourhood last month.

An unoccupied affordable housing unit at 1202 Retallack St., near the corner of Sixth Avenue, blew up shortly before 10:45 a.m. CST on Nov. 13.

Police now say investigation has determined that the explosion was accidental, but was caused by a "compromised" natural gas line.

"The biggest challenge we had was the size of [the explosion]," Det. Cst. Mark Oliver told reporters Friday, adding that the debris field spanned up to a block and a half.

Oliver, a member of the Regina Police Service's explosives disposal unit, would not divulge how the line was damaged, but said it could constitute a criminal act because someone, or a group of people, would have had to break into the property and tamper with the line somehow.

The potential charges would be breaking and entering, as well as committing mischief, Oliver said.

Police believe the potential criminal activity took place some time between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. CST on Sunday, Nov. 13.

Investigators were able to narrow down the timeframe based on the gas pressure at the time, Oliver said.

Anyone living in the area who may have spotted suspicious activity near the house that morning is asked to contact the RPS at 306-777-6500. People can also contact Crime Stoppers anonymously online or by calling 1-800-222-8477.

Police are also asking anyone with surveillance cameras in the area to check their footage from Nov. 12 and 13 for any unusual activity near the house in question.

The investigation is ongoing.