ST. THOMAS -- St. Thomas police are searching for a dark-coloured SUV in connection with a minor explosion early Saturday morning.

Police were called to a construction site in the area of Princess Avenue and Roseberry Place after midnight. They say an excavator had its windows blown out.

Neighbours say they heard a loud explosion in the area, which is near the former Alma College site, and their houses shook at the time of the blast.

"I was just sleeping. I was in a deep sleep and I thought I was dreaming," said resident Damaris Moxley.

"I just heard a sizzling sound and then a huge explosion happened. My whole room lit up. I came out front because I heard sirens and that's when the comotion started. I heard that it was a pipe bomb that exploded and they're investigating that. They wanted to know if I heard or saw anything."

Another neighbour, Brigitte Therrien, said she heard a huge crash.

"My windows shook so I didn't know what it was. My first reaction was to go check on my kids. They were sound asleep so they didn't hear anytning," she said.

Officers are canvassing the neighbourhood seeking video and looking for information about the SUV. They say someone in the SUV may have been involved or may have witnessed what happened.

"It looks as though there was a minor explosion that came inside an excatator," said Sgt. Travis Sandham.

"We're looking for anyone that may have seen people in the area... and possibly information on a dark-coloured SUV. We're just trying to gather as much information as we can."