ORILLIA - An enjoyable late evening photographing the northern lights quickly turned to shock as Nicole Campbell saw her neighbour's home explode late Thursday night.
The rural home at Peter Street West and the Third Line of Oro-Medonte Township was totally destroyed by the explosion and the devastating fire it sparked.
“Thank goodness they weren’t home,” Campbell said of her neighbours, who were on a get-away to their trailer at a campground.
“All they have left is what they took away for the weekend,” said Campbell.
Oro-Medonte Deputy Fire Chief Roree Payment said they received the call at 11:33 p.m. Thursday night.
At the height of the blaze, they had 10 trucks on the scene, including one from neighbouring Springwater.
Payment said the crews had the fire under control within a couple of hours, but stayed on scene until Friday morning checking for hot spots and ensuring the fire was extinguished.
He said they then "released the scene" to Ontario Fire Marshal investigators. Payment said those investigators have concluded their investigation, but have not yet released the cause of the explosion.
Meanwhile, the community is looking to rally around the family. Campbell has started to raise money for the family, which includes twin six-year-old boys and two teenage boys.
HQ Restaurant in Moonstone is hosting a fundraiser for the family. They will be donating $5 from every burger they sell on Thursday, Oct. 17 to the family. They will also be accepting donations of clothing, gift cards and other items for the family.
HQ is located at 246 Moonstone Rd. E. in Oro-Medonte.