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'It was engulfed in flames. It was melting'; 1 dead after fiery explosion at Windsor, Ont., home

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WINDSOR, Ont. - A man died in a fiery explosion early Tuesday despite the efforts of three police officers who suffered injuries trying to rescue him.

“When I first looked out the window the garage was in flames,” said Rick Bruce who lives across the street from the burned house on Ford Boulevard.

“You could see the flames coming through the trees. You could see all the flames in the front of the garage. There was an awning on the front of the garage. It was engulfed in flames. It was melting and there was stuff all over dripping down. And you could see the flames coming off the back of the house.”

The Office of the Fire Marshal and the Special Investigations Unit are investigating. The province’s SIU is an arm’s-length agency that probes allegations of serious injury, death and sexual assault involving citizens and police.

Windsor police said they are restricted in what they can reveal about the case because of the SIU investigation.

Investigators haven’t confirmed the cause of the fire.

Staff Sgt. Matthew D’Asti said one person died and three officers were treated at hospital for smoke inhalation.

The Windsor Fire and Rescue Service said the officers suffered smoke inhalation during their “attempted rescue” of the man.

D’Asti said police responded to a “situation.”

“When they arrived on scene there was an active fire here,” he said.

“But despite their efforts the resident succumbed to his injuries.”

Police wouldn’t say where in the house the man was found.

SIU spokesman Jason Gennaro said police had a “brief interaction” with a 47-year-old man who was inside the house. After firefighters extinguished the blaze, he said, the same man was discovered inside the home.

Gennaro wouldn’t give more detail about what happened between the time of the initial interaction with police and when the man was found in the house.

The fire, along with an explosion, erupted around 4 a.m. at 1022 Ford Blvd. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had spread to the garage and the adjacent home at 1028 Ford. 

Emergency crews pulled one person from the house. He was pronounced dead at hospital.

Bruce said he jumped out of bed and peeked out his front window after he heard a bang and his dogs started barking. The street was lit up with flames and flashing lights.

“Everything was engulfed in flames,” said Bruce. 

Bruce said paramedics worked on a man outside the house for about 20 minutes.

“I watched that from my porch and it was kind of shocking,” said Bruce.

He said the name of the man who lived in the house was Robbie. Bruce didn’t know his last name.

Bruce said Robbie used to drive a school bus. He also worked on cars in his garage and was known as the neighbourhood mechanic.

“You need your car fixed, you go see Rob,” said Bruce. “You need a brake job done, you go see Rob. He was kind of a jack of all trades mechanic.”

Bruce said one of Rob’s prized possessions was a restored Chevy Monte Carlo SS.

“He fixed it up but you’d never see him drive it,” said Bruce. “Every now and then you hear him start it and it would rattle throughout the neighbourhood with the noise.”

Bruce said the man helped him work on cars several times.

“Really nice guy,” said Bruce. “He’d help you out whenever you need help. I was working on my son’s Jeep and I needed a part for the Jeep. He had some parts in his garage, he said come on over and take what you need. He was a really good guy.”

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