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Some residents said the blast was so forceful they felt their homes rock as though they had been struck by an earthquake.
"It was just a tremendous explosion and blew all the windows out of the house, just blew the house up, and I just managed to get out of there in time," said Robert Helman, who was covered in cuts and bruises as he fled his home.
Frightened residents within a one-mile radius were ordered to evacuate immediately, and police brought in buses to take residents out of the area.
About a dozen terrified residents — some clad in pajamas and housecoats — found their way on foot to nearby Yorkdale shopping mall, where security offered them water and a place to rest.