Sadness blankets Ottawa after student dies in high school explosion

At approximately 8:30 pm on Thursday evening, Ottawa Police were advised by medical staff that the injured 18 year old male involved in the earlier explosion has succumbed to his injuries. The name of the deceased will not be released at this time.

The Ottawa Police Service, Ontario Fire Marshall and Ottawa Fire Services will continue to investigate to determine the cause of the incident.

Background:

City of Ottawa Emergency Services are on the scene of an explosion at Mother Teresa Catholic High School, at 440 Longfields Drive in the west end.

At approx. 10:40am today, a 911 call was received regarding an explosion of an empty 55 gallon drum that contained oil residue which created a vapor. The drum was located in the Shop class at the school.

Ottawa Paramedic Service treated an 18 year old male who was found without vital signs. They initiated advanced resuscitative measures at scene. The young man regained a pulse at arrival at hospital. As of 13:30 hrs, the male was still in critical condition.

Four students and a 33 year-old teacher were assessed by paramedics at scene and are being monitored at hospital for possible concussive injuries which can result from an explosion. All five were in stable condition at scene and upon their arrival at hospital.

All other students were evacuated safely to Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School, as a safety precaution. The Hazmat (Hazardous Material) team from Ottawa Fire Services has now cleared the incident scene and deemed it to be safe.