"I just broke down," she said, describing how she clutched their bodies in relief. "It's like fate ... somebody looked over me."

For several hundred yards in all directions from the blast site today, stood house with buckled garage doors, dangling eavestroughs and loosened shingles.

While Hickory Drive remained cordoned off by Peel police, neighbours gathered to gawk toward the scene of the incident, still unsure what so violent disturbed their placid environs the previous evening.

Mississauga fire investigators say gas is a possibility but it's too early to give a cause for the house explosion that killed one person, that official confirmed was a woman.

The explosion at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday levelled a house on Hickory Drive, near Dixie Road and Rathburn Road East.

The woman's identity has not yet been released. Police would not comment on where her body was found or if she lived at the exploded structure.

The blast left nine people with minor injuries and 25 houses with significant damage. "Some will come down" as part of the Ontario Fire Marshall's investigation, Mississauga fire Chief Tim Beckett told a news conference on Wednesday morning.

He added that authorities have not had any contact with the people associated the home that exploded.

Some area residents were allowed to return to their homes on Wednesday morning, as Peel Regional Police Chief Jennifer Evans said there was nothing to suggest further safety issues.

A canine unit on site Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning found no evidence of anyone trapped in the rubble, Beckett said.

Evans told reporters "notes" collected near the blast site by passerbys have been handed over to police and are being "pursued" as part of the investigation. Whether or not they are related to the cause of the blast is still unknown. "It's too early to tell," said Evans.

Yesterday, the Star reported handwritten notes were found on the street among the debris in front of the destroyed house. A man with whom the Star spoke at the police tape line, but who didn't want to be identified, said a friend recovered on the street, put them in a grocery bag and handed it off to police.

"Dear God, as of next week everything will fall apart for us," begins the note, whose author is unknown.

Peel Police have not yet confirmed this specific letter was one of the notes in their possession.

Peel media officer Const. Bally Saini told the Star residents who stumble upon debris that resembles "personal property" should not touch it but call Peel Police 12 Division immediately.

"We don't know if there are chemicals involved, asbestos or anything like that," she said. "Call us and we will come pick it up."

Ontario Fire Marshall supervisor Jeff Minten told reporters that four investigators are on their way to the scene and that an investigation is expected to take two to three days.

He described the damage as "significant but contained to the immediate vicinity" of the blast site. The OFM is not speculating on what caused the explosion but Minet said investigators will look into every possible "system" causes, including gas-related fixtures.

"At this point, the investigation is in its infancy," he said.

While there was a small fire reported among the debris immediately following the explosion, Minten said it is very likely paper can survive the blast because "a flame front pushes softer debris out in front of it."

Sixteen evacuees were put up in hotels on Tuesday night, Mayor Bonnie Crombie said.

An apartment complex at 1359 Rathburn, townhouses at 1355 Rathburn and parts of Hickory Woods Drive remained evacuated on Wednesday morning.

The evacuation drove 50 to 100 people from their homes.

Residents of another 700 addresses who were in their homes at the time of the explosion were allowed to remain on site, but others who were not at home were blocked from returning.

Anyone effected by the explosion on Hickory Woods is asked to attend the Burnhamthorpe Community Centre.

The centre on 1500 Gulleden Dr., which had been setup as a shelter for displaced residents, will likely be closed at 5 p.m. today said Beckett. A third of yesterday's 700 addresses that had been cordoned off remain under restricted access as of Wednesday morning.

St. Basil Catholic Elementary School on Golden Orchard Drive is closed.

Officials from the Insurance Bureau of Canada will be there to answer questions from homeowners.

Crombie praised the support of local community members and efforts of emergency services.

"I was just so delighted on how the community pulled together and welcomed each other," Crombie said.

"Neighbours all opened their doors to each other, it was wonderful to see," Crombie said.

Peel police said anyone with damage to their homes should contact the city's 311 number.

Toronto Star