Minutes after the force of a massive explosion pulsed through the neighbourhood, sheaves of paper fluttered between chunks of debris and smoke that filled the sky. Straddling her bicycle, Tanja Nimchuk raced right into it. Her teenage daughter was somewhere in the chaos.

“I don’t know how much adrenaline I could have had,” 47-year-old Nimchuk recalled on Wednesday, her voice wavering as the memory of the panic rippled back.

“As a mother you’ll do whatever you can,” she said, describing how she blew past two lines of police tape and ignored orders to stop. “I just flew.”

Nimchuk’s story was one of dozens passed around the Mississauga neighbourhood where a house exploded at around 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, leaving one woman dead at the blast property, nine people with minor injuries, and at least 25 houses damaged, officials said.

Peel police Sgt. Josh Colley confirmed to reporters Wednesday afternoon that the deceased woman was found on the property and that a coroner had visited the scene on Hickory Dr. south of Rathburn Rd. Although there will be an autopsy, Colley added, the ongoing investigation is “not criminal” at this point.

As of Wednesday evening, police were still trying to get in touch with the family of the owners of the exploded house. The sergeant would not confirm their names, or the age or identity of the deceased woman.

Meanwhile, the Ontario Fire Marshal is leading the probe into the cause of the blast, as officials delicately inspect neighbouring homes and determine the extent of the damage, said supervising fire inspector Jeff Minter. Earlier Wednesday, Minter said he expected the provincial agency’s legwork, led by four fire investigators, to last two to three days. They will look all possible causes, including gas-related fixtures, he said, but declined to speculate on the blast’s cause.

Asked about the scores of residents still waiting to return to their homes, Minter described how inspectors are working from the perimeter of the blast zone in toward the source of the explosion. He expected some people who weren’t allowed to return Wednesday to be able to do so Thursday morning. But some of the more badly damaged homes will have to be partially dismantled with heavy equipment before investigators can assess their safety.

“I don’t want a house falling on one of my inspectors,” he said.

As residents of the placid, friendly neighbourhood continued to process the incident, Nimchuk said she was profoundly thankful more people weren’t hurt.

On Tuesday afternoon, the mother of three girls dropped her 14-year-old daughter Maya off at her friend’s house on Hickory Dr. The home, which she said has large windows, was directly across the street from where the explosion occurred.

Maya said she was hanging out with her friend in the house when they heard a terrible rush of noise. She said she doesn’t scare easily but described the blast as “honestly terrifying.” She felt the house shake and heard glass shattering.

Both girls slipped on their shoes and ran outside, only to stumble upon a chaotic scene, Maya said. A police officer yelled at the girls to leave the area, so they made their way towards him, stepping carefully to avoid broken pieces of wood, shingles and razor-sharp glass that littered the driveway.

According to Maya, the worst part of the experience “was not knowing what happened across the street.”

“There was no fire so I was so confused; there were no flames, just lots of smoke,” she said.

Nimchuk said she cycled as close as she could toward Maya before she was forced to stop, and then, in the chaos, spotted her daughter and her friend.

“I just broke down,” she said, describing how she clutched their bodies in relief. “It’s like fate ... somebody looked after me.”

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A house was levelled after an explosion in Mississauga on Tuesday. Authorities have now confirmed that two people have died.

Daniel Botelho, 26, heard the blast from his house one street to the west, and ran outside to see what was going on. He saw pieces of concrete and a door hinge fall from the sky onto his lawn, and then ran towards the deafening boom on Hickory Dr. and took a photo of the immediate aftermath, just as the first police car rolled up to the scene.

The surrounding streetscape “looked like a tornado went through it," he said, adding that he saw waves of heat rising from the wreckage, "like gas from a barbecue."

Yesterday, the Star reported handwritten notes were found on the street among the debris in front of the destroyed house and handed it off to police. “Dear God, as of next week everything will fall apart for us," begins one note, whose author is unknown.

Peel Police Chief Jennifer Evans told reporters Wednesday morning that police are pursuing "notes" collected near the blast site by passersby 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.

Wednesday updates

Police have not confirmed the “Dear God” letter was one of the notes in their possession.

Later Wednesday, residents were expressing mingled stress, relief and disbelief over what happened. In the outer blast perimeter, neighbours allowed to return wandered around their homes, inspecting damage and shaking their heads.

"Almost every single house has something," said Bob Tchoryk, 58, who lives on a cul-de-sac one street west of the blast. "I thought our roof was caving in."

Sylvia Remedios returned to Hickory Dr. Wednesday morning in hopes of being allowed to retrieve medication, a walker and much-needed oxygen tanks for her ailing 91-year-old father, Arthur.

"My stomach is still churning," she said of the lingering unease in the wake of the explosion. "We heard a boom and everything was just brown (in the sky). Bricks were all over and there was a lady calling for help."

Remedios, 64, said her father was placed in a hospital overnight Tuesday, where he was able to get the oxygen supply he needs.

"I think it's the shock," she said with a sigh. "It's too overwhelming."

Moments later, a Peel police officer escorted her under the caution tape and let her into her house, just a few doors down from the epicentre of the explosion.

Mississauga Fire Chief Tim Beckett thanked residents for their “support, understanding and patience.”

An entourage of Peel officers and Mississauga firefighters were going door-to-door at the southern end of Hickory Dr. on Wednesday afternoon. Residents were asked to provide authorities with their contact information.

Janet Eagleson, spokesperson for the Region of Peel, said more than 100 people had dropped into the Burnhamthorpe Community Centre since Tuesday evening. Displaced residents received food, donated supplies and, if needed, help finding a place to sleep. Eagleson said many people came with only the clothes on their back, while some needed taxis because their cars were trapped in the closed-off blast zone.

While Burnhamthorpe was slated to close at 11 p.m. Wednesday, officials encouraged evacuees to contact Peel Region for emergency accommodation if needed.

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