Officers from the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) continue to investigate an explosion that occurred on October 29, 2024, at 1:30pm at Central French Immersion School on Bolton Avenue in Grimsby.
The female staff member who was injured from the explosion was treated at a local hospital and released with minor injuries. The staff member had accessed a garbage bin outside when there was an explosion. Damage was limited to the garbage bin area.
In addition to NRPS 8 District (Grimsby/West Lincoln/Lincoln) uniform officers and detectives, officers from the NRPS Emergency Task Unit and Canine Unit attended the scene. During the initial investigation out of abundance of safety the school and a nearby day care were evacuated to nearby location for dismissal and end of day pick up. Some residents in the immediate area were also requested to shelter in place in their homes. Several area roads were also closed.
The shelter in place and most of the road closures have now been lifted. A small section of Brierwood Avenue remains closed.
NRPS officers and the Canine Unit have conducted ground searches in the area for anything of evidentiary value. Ground searches are scheduled to continue October 30, 2024, by NRPS officers.
At this time, detectives do not have information to suggest an ongoing safety concern stemming from this incident.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Officers from the NRPS Forensic Service Unit assisted by officers from the NRPS Explosive Disposal Unit will continue their scene/blast examination on October 30, 2024, in the immediate area of the dumpster/explosion. Scene examination on October 29, 2024, was cut short by nightfall. The expectation is that the scene will be released on October 30, 2024.
The investigation has been assigned to detectives from the NRPS 8 District office. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the investigating officers by calling 905-688-4111, option 3, extension 1009341.
Anyone (residents / business owners) who may have been in the area with cell phones, closed circuit video recording, or dash camera footage between Sunday October 27, 2024 (7:00am) and Tuesday October 29, 2024 (2:00pm), is asked to review their footage of the area and contact police if they observe anything suspicious.
Members of the public who wish to supply information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to persons who contact the program with information which leads to an arrest.
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Related Media Release
Original Release – October 29, 2024