A propane explosion levelled a building in Flin Flon, Man., on Wednesday and sent one person to hospital.

Employees at Stittco Energy, a propane supply company, were doing repair work and didn't realize there was a propane leak, said Mark Kolt, Flin Flon's chief administrative officer.

Stittco spokeswoman Amanda Condie said the explosion occurred at the company's propane facility on Third Avenue, just before 7 a.m. local time. One person was sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Video courtesy of: Jonathon Naylor, Flin Flon Reminder

Condie said the fire following the blast was quickly extinguished.

She said the explosion is not considered suspicious and the company is co-operating with investigators from Manitoba's Office of the Fire Commissioner.

The blast destroyed a wood-frame building, throwing splinters and debris across Third Avenue and into the lot of a Petro-Canada gas station, where it was scattered around the fuel pumps.

The Stittco Energy building in Flin Flon, Man., was just a smouldering pile on Wednesday morning, after a propane explosion. (Courtesy Laura Sparling) This is relatively the same view, showing the building prior to the explosion. (Google Street View)

The explosion also knocked out power to parts of the city, including many homes, and a number of nearby businesses were evacuated.

Third Avenue was shut to traffic, essentially cutting the city in half, so classes at the nearby Ruth Betts Community School were cancelled as many students had no way to get there, Kolt said.

Flin Flon is located at the boundary between Manitoba and Saskatchewan, about 630 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

This building, seen in Google Street View, was reduced to rubble in the explosion.