'We’re doing pretty good': neighbours reflect on five-year anniversary of Woodman blast

It’s a quiet life on Woodman Avenue in London’s Old East Village, just as it should be.

That’s the sentiment expressed by longtime residents of the neighbourhood that was rocked by a violent blast, August 14, 2019, exactly five years ago.

“Lots of people walking their dogs, and there’s children here,” said Mitch Lupa, who remembers that night all too well.

She was home when a car crashed into 450 Woodman Ave., directly across from her place.

“Sounded like a crash,” she said. “My partner was downstairs. So I opened my bedroom window and look out on the street, and he was helping the driver out of her car,” said Lupa.

A gas meter at the front of the home had been struck. Once first responders realized the house was filling with natural gas, it became a race against time to evacuate area residents and emergency personnel.

The blast that followed moments later would wipe 450 Woodman off the map.

Fire follows an explosion on Woodman Avenue, Aug. 14, 2019. (Source: Joe O'Neil)

No-one was killed, but at least seven people were injured, including a firefighter who suffered serious injuries.

“All kind of hell broke loose, yeah, things were just kind of flying,” commented Tracey Ferrar, who lives across the street.

“The firefighter that was injured, I watched him fly, I guess you would say. There was quite a few officers here on Queens Ave. that were hit by bricks and whatnot because there was just debris flying everywhere. So yeah, it was shocking that nobody died,” said Ferrar.

The home, along with the two homes on either side, would eventually be replaced by newly built homes. In spite of some cosmetic changes to the streetscape, some neighbours say the street still has the same “Old East” feeling. The community was tightly woven even before the blast. It’s even more so now, they say.

450 Woodman Ave. London on Wednesday, August 14, 2024 (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

“A large outpouring of help and donations,” explained neighbour Meg Haggit.

What she remembers most is how the community came together, both that night and in the weeks that followed.

“Superstore even donated food to people because we call had to throw out everything in the freezer and fridge. With the loss of power, that night was chaos, obviously. But the fire department and police held it amazingly,” said Haggit.

As for Mitch Lupa, she never wants to look out her bedroom window and witness the horror she saw five years ago. For now, she’ll continue watching the flowers grow, and the comings and goings of people and pets, along with their knowing smiles- the smiles of those who have lived together through something so powerful, and so life-changing.

“We’re doing pretty good. The neighbourhood, it’s great,” said Lupa.