Break-ins on Maryvale Way N.E. are being looked into by the police
A Calgary family says that just days after an explosion next door blew a hole in their walls, a thief took advantage and broke in to steal valuables. Barb Caswell says that her parents’ house was one of two that were severely damaged when a house exploded in the northeast town of Marlborough on Monday morning. Even though the homes near the explosion site were fenced off, a thief was able to get into her parents’ house in the middle of the day and steal jewelry and other valuables, she said. “It’s heartbreaking to have this theft on top of everything else,” Caswell said. “It makes you angry.” The Calgary Police Service said it is looking into the break-in and that officers were sent to the home on the 700 block of Maryvale Way N.E. on Thursday afternoon. By the time the police got there, nobody was in the house.
Caswell said that her parents were out of town when the explosion happened, but she did notice that the wall of their bedroom was the one closest to the blast site. Ten men who were in the house that blew up were hurt by the explosion. As of Thursday, nine of them were still in the hospital, and three of them were still on drugs in intensive care. Community members say that the victims’ wounds range from broken bones to severe burns. Everyone is expected to live, but it will take them a long time to get better, both physically and financially. People in the area are trying to raise money and gather supplies for the victims. At the Forest Lawn Community Association on Saturday, there will be a drive for donations.WATCH | A security camera caught video of the explosion in Marlborough:
Caswell said that after the explosion, a neighbor of her parents’ called her. When she went back to her childhood home, she found it surrounded by fire trucks and full of trash. She said, “That’s quite a sight.” Caswell said that her parents are staying with friends while they talk to contractors and insurance agents. She said, “They have to shore up the whole side of the house before we can really go in and take our things out.” Officials with the fire department think that natural gas caused the explosion. But a full investigation of the home’s appliances isn’t likely to be done for a few weeks. Police said there are no criminal investigations related to the explosion in the home.