Breaking Canada news — an Edmonton apartment explosion in 2026 killed one person, sent six to hospital, displaced 35 residents, and left two people still unaccounted for after a vehicle crashed into a north Edmonton apartment building’s gas line on Monday night July 13, triggering a catastrophic blast and fire that destroyed the entire three-storey structure. Randolph Pattemore was still on the phone with 911 — warning them about the gas smell — when the explosion happened. He watched the building burn from the street. The two dogs he had seen jump toward a window trying to escape did not make it out.
By Maplestime News Desk | Edmonton, Alberta | July 15, 2026
Sources: CBC News | Edmonton Police Service | Last updated: July 15, 2026, 3:30 PM CDT
What We Know So Far
- A vehicle crashed into a north Edmonton apartment building at 132nd Avenue and 82nd Street Monday night July 13, rupturing the building’s gas line
- The rupture triggered an explosion and fire that destroyed the three-storey building
- One person — an 85-year-old man — died after jumping from a third-floor balcony trying to escape the blaze
- Six people were sent to hospital
- Two residents remained unaccounted for as of Wednesday morning
- The driver of the vehicle — a 62-year-old man — was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries
- 35 residents were displaced from the building
- Two dogs being cared for by resident Matty Poburan’s mother did not survive
- Edmonton Police Service launched its mass casualty investigative protocol — the fire is now being investigated by EPS homicide unit
- The building structure remains too unstable for investigators to enter — access not expected for at least 48 hours
- A two-block section of 82nd Street remained closed as of Wednesday
He Saw It Coming. He Could Not Stop It.
Randolph Pattemore was outside the building on 132nd Avenue when he saw the car hit the gas line.
The smell hit him immediately. Strong, unmistakable. He knew exactly what it meant.
He ran back upstairs — not to grab belongings, but to get his phone and warn his roommate Matty Poburan and a friend who were still inside the apartment.
“I told my roommate we need to get out of here now,” Pattemore said in an interview with CBC News on Tuesday.
He made it to the living room and dialled 911. He told the operator a car had crashed into the building’s gas line. He told them about the smell. He told them he was afraid there was going to be an explosion.
And then there was.
“I saw the window go out and then all of a sudden it was like a freight train just came flying right back in,” Pattemore said.
He was still on the phone with 911 when the blast hit. The operator told him to walk away. Just catch your breath. He did.
He stood on the street and watched the building burn.
Inside the Building When It Happened
Matty Poburan and a friend were still in the apartment when Pattemore’s warning came. They moved toward the door immediately.
They almost made it.
“We’re making our way to the door and next thing you know we’re about three feet in the air — glass is flying everywhere. Just total chaos,” Poburan told CBC News.
The explosion threw them off their feet. When they got up and moved toward the stairwell the damage around them was immediate and overwhelming.
“All the plywood off the walls were just like blown out,” Poburan said. “You just see the bare beams sticking out.”
He understood in that moment how serious it was.
“And you kind of got an idea at that point that you don’t got much time and we need to get everyone out of there.”
Poburan and Pattemore both made it out with minor injuries. The building did not survive. Neither did the two golden labradoodles Poburan had been looking after for his mother — both jumped toward a window in the explosion, apparently trying to escape.
They did not make it out.
Pattemore was on the phone with 911 when he saw it happen. “And I watched that building burn and those two dogs just — gone,” he said.
One Dead. Two Missing. Six in Hospital.
The human toll of Monday night’s Edmonton apartment explosion is still being counted.
An 85-year-old man died after jumping from a third-floor balcony in an attempt to escape the fire. Six other people were taken to hospital. As of Wednesday morning two residents remained unaccounted for — a fact that Edmonton police are treating with the gravity it demands.
The driver of the vehicle that struck the building — a 62-year-old man — was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. How the crash occurred and why the vehicle struck the gas line connection on the building is part of what investigators are now working to determine.
EPS Chief Warren Driechel announced at a Tuesday news conference that due to the complexity and scale of the incident, police launched the mass casualty investigative protocol. The fire is now being investigated by Edmonton Police Service’s homicide unit.
That designation does not necessarily mean criminal intent is suspected — it means the scale of death and potential death warrants the most thorough investigative resources the department has.
Investigators could not access the interior of the apartment building as of Tuesday because the structure remains too unstable. Driechel said it may take over 48 hours before investigators can safely enter and begin the detailed work of determining exactly what happened inside and where the two missing residents are.
A two-block section of 82nd Street will likely remain closed for approximately the same period.
35 People Lost Everything
Thirty-five residents were displaced by Monday’s explosion and fire. Every one of them woke up Tuesday morning without a home.
Randolph Pattemore spoke for all of them in the plainest possible terms.
“I lost everything I had. What I’ve got right now, it’s all I’ve got. Even lost my ID, everything.”
Matty Poburan — who described still feeling worse for wear on Tuesday — summed up the disorienting reality of suddenly having no home, no belongings, and no clear path forward.
“They don’t exactly have like a little pamphlet that says, ‘So your place of living just exploded. Here’s what you do next,'” Poburan said. He has been trying to figure out which agencies to contact and where to go from here.
The City of Edmonton, the Canadian Red Cross, and Alberta 211 are the primary resources for displaced residents in situations like this. If you or someone you know was displaced by the 132nd Avenue fire, contact Alberta 211 by dialling 211 for information about emergency housing, clothing, food, and other immediate supports.
What Investigators Are Looking For
With the homicide unit now leading the investigation, Edmonton police will be working to answer several key questions once they can safely access the building interior.
The primary questions are whether the two unaccounted-for residents are inside the building, what the exact sequence of events was from the vehicle impact to the explosion, whether the driver of the vehicle faces any criminal exposure, and whether the building’s gas line infrastructure met code requirements.
The investigation will take time. The building is structurally compromised. The evidence inside is surrounded by fire damage. The two-block road closure reflects the ongoing risk at the scene.
EPS has not released the names of the deceased 85-year-old man or the two unaccounted-for residents pending family notification and investigation progress.
How to Help Edmonton Explosion Victims
If you want to support the 35 displaced residents of the 132nd Avenue building:
Alberta 211 — dial 211 for emergency social supports in Edmonton
Canadian Red Cross Alberta — redcross.ca or 1-800-418-1111
Edmonton Community Foundation Emergency Fund — ecfoundation.org
Edmonton Food Bank — edmontonsfoodbank.com for immediate food supports
This is a developing story. Maplestime will update this article as Edmonton Police Service releases information about the two missing residents and as the homicide investigation progresses.
Have information about this story or know someone who was displaced? Email [email protected]
Have a correction? Email [email protected]
If you were displaced by the 132nd Avenue fire or know someone who was — the Edmonton Community Foundation and Alberta 211 are the fastest paths to emergency support right now. Share this story so displaced residents know where to turn. And share it with anyone following breaking news in Edmonton today.
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