"That's when the wall exploded" - Mississauga apartment building partially evacuated

 

 

 

 

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Kristen Defreitas was calmly working at home when fire alarms went off in her building, which happens often. 

"Mom do you smell that?" her daughter asked shortly after, which she did not. 

A few moments later, she walked towards her dining room table. 

"That's when the wall exploded," she said. 

It was just before 9 a.m. Friday when some sort of explosion in the adjacent unit blew out the wall, at the Mississauga apartment building at Rathburn Road and Fieldgate Drive. 

"The fire was all up in the ceiling and in the wall," she said. "I stood for a few seconds looking at it, like that just didn't really happen?" 

"And then it was like okay, grab the kids." 

Defreitas grabbed her three teenage children and rushed to the balcony as they called 911 and within 10 minutes, they were rescued. 

Mississauga Fire Platoon Chief Kevin Coffee said it's believed painters were working in the unit at the time and the cause is being investigated. 

The two men were also rescued off the third floor and part of the building was evacuated. 

"There doesn't appear to be anything suspicious," Coffee said. Two hours after the blast, people were being allowed back into the building, with the exception of those on the third floor.

Along with the Defreitas family and the two men, there were several other people that were evaluated by paramedics, but none that required serious treatment. 

Terri Potter lives on the 16th floor and said smoke made its way up to her floor. 

"It's really unnerving," she said. "So we're just headed over to the bar, have a coffee and at 11 a.m., it'll be brewski time." 

Defreitas doesn't know the extent of the damage, but is thankful she was home at the time. 

"I'm just glad everybody's okay," she said.