N.W.T. homes damaged in 2022 explosions both had gas work done without permits

Properties in Hay River and Yellowknife damaged by explosions back in 2022 both had work to propane systems done without required permits, according to documents obtained by CBC News.

The blasts were not related, but happened within a short period of time: the first levelled a garage and damaged a home and surrounding neighbourhood in Hay River on Nov. 26, while a second caused extensive damage to a home on Dagenais Drive in Yellowknife on Dec. 6. 

The N.W.T. Office of the Fire Marshal said at the time both explosions were caused by propane. They were also said not to be suspicious.

Fire investigation reports from the fire marshal's office, obtained through an access to information request, show both properties had work done to their propane systems for which the necessary permits and inspections were not carried out. 

The reports don't assign blame for the explosions, and say both are considered to be "accidental."

Through the course of his investigation into the blast in Hay River, assistant fire marshal TJ Moore found that a generator and its recently upgraded piping may have been the cause of a propane leak inside a garage on Beaver Cres. 

The conclusion is "inconclusive," Moore wrote, but is based on evidence, observations and history. 

Moore said a witness, whose identity was removed from the report, said a generator inside the garage had been affected by the spring flooding earlier that year. "The generator had seemed to be sputtering when the [redacted] had been testing it previously, so [redacted] wanted a larger line installed in case it was due to lack of fuel." 

The report says Stittco Utilities, a company that operates the propane pipeline in Hay River, was asked to do the work. It was carried out two months before the explosion. 

"The upgrades to the piping for the generator was conducted without permit or inspection as required by the GNWT Gas Protection Regulations…. The generator and its piping appears to be the only source of propane gas which could be the source of the leak, which was the material that first ignited." 

CBC News approached Stittco Utilities for comment. Brian Brandsgard, who oversees Stittco's operations across Canada, said Superior Propane — Stittco's parent company — would send a statement. As of publication time, that statement had not been received. 

Doug Powder, who lived in the home, confirmed to CBC News an insurance company is investigating what happened and declined to comment. He said he was also injured in the explosion, but has since recovered. 

Moore found that the leak inside the 26-foot-by-26-foot garage grew undetected, and the explosion happened after a person went inside and turned on the lights and furnace while searching for a pair of gloves.  

The blast levelled the wood and tin garage, burned vehicles stored inside the structure, seriously damaged the home and threw debris as far as 120 metres away, the report said. It also caused structural damage to several other homes in the area.