Families forced out of homes near site of Ottawa blast

The massive explosion that took out homes under construction in an east Ottawa neighbourhood damaged homes nearby, forcing families to escape early Monday morning with nothing but they clothes they were wearing.

Ian Carlson's home backs on to the blast site.

"We were sleeping and then a loud crash and then we wake up," he said. "The ceiling's kind of fallen down on us. Our whole back of our house is just gone."

He, his wife, and their two kids got out as quickly as they could.

"I got the ceiling off of us, got my wife and baby out, I scooped the dog and then grabbed my other son whose bedroom is in the front of the house," he said.

The family is now staying with relatives, just thankful everyone is safe.

"The ceiling fell right onto the bassinet as well, so if the baby was in the bassinet at the time of the explosion it could've been very bad," Carlson said.

Friends of the family have started an online fundraiser to help them.

Ian Carlson and his family fled the blast Monday morning. The back wall of his home was destroyed. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)

SISTERS HAD JUST MOVED INTO NEIGHBOURHOOD

Two sisters, Maxence and Mariam Pepin, moved in to the neighbourhood only days ago, right next door to each other.

"We moved in last Tuesday," said Maxence Pepin. "The window shattered and all the glass just flew on me. I threw all the glass off and booked it to my roommate's room."

The Pepins say they don't know yet the extent of the damage to their brand new homes. Right now, they're taking solace in each other's company.

"I am just happy to be somewhere safe with my girls that is all that matters right now," Mariam Pepin said.

Mariam Pepin had moved to the neighbourhood near the blast site just last week, living next door to her sister Maxence. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)

SHAKING BLAST REMINISCIENT OF RECENT EARTHQUAKE

The explosion was a terrifying moment for residents all around the neighbourhood, but for Sanah Hanan, it immediately made her think of family affected by the earthquake that struck Turkiye and Syria.

"We had no idea it was an explosion until they said that," she explained. "We thought it was an earthquake."

Hanan's family overseas are still dealing with the devastation of the earthquake, she said.

"A lot of family died and we thought we were in the same situation. Is it happening to us, like what happened to them?"

The Hanans are one of many families displaced by the blast. They went to the Minto Sales Office that was opened for affected families who now need food and shelter and place to reunite. Sanah's daughter Hanin says the explosion made her family's nightmare feel more real.

"I am traumatized, to be honest," she said. "I woke up and all I could hear is everything shaking. This is five days after the earthquake. I was living those experiences."

Sanah Hanan says the explosion rocked her home, making her think back to the earthquake that devastated Turkiye and Syria, where she has family. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)

It's not clear when families will be able to return to their homes. 

A statement from Minto, the company that was developing the homes that were destroyed, said it is working with investigators to determine what caused the blast, while offering assistance to any families affected.

"Minto team members are on-site to address the needs of impacted community members and we have opened our model homes to keep evacuated residents warm and comfortable. We are working with authorities to identify the cause of the explosion and fully cooperating in the investigation."

The Salvation Army and Canadian Red Cross have also been called in to help those affected.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Leah Larocque and Katie Griffin.