A massive explosion at a home in Newlands dominated headlines in the summer.
Four people were injured in the 5 June blast, which an eyewitness described “as if something dropped from the sky”.
One neighbour, who lived near to the site of the incident on Bayfield Crescent in North Sound Estates, off Hirst Road, told the Compass at the time, “It was like an earthquake, but not from the earth.”
“We wondered if a plane crashed or someone drove into a gas tank,” she said.
Community rallies
Father-of-two Rex Watler, 44, was one of those hurt; he was hospitalised with serious injuries after his home was destroyed.
Meanwhile, the other three adults and two young children who also lived at the property “lost everything” in the explosion and were in desperate need of assistance, family friend Jolene Nelson-Henry said.
A drop box for clothes, food and toiletries was set up at Foster’s Countryside in Savannah to support the family.
“I am not surprised at all by the response, it is the definition of Caymankind. It has been lovely to see the response,” a source close to the family told the Cayman Compass at the time.
Clean-up operations
As investigations into the cause of the blast got under way, a police cordon was set up, as the National Roads Authority worked to clear the road of debris.
Forensic investigations determine cause
By early July, an overseas forensic expert had determined that a gas leak was the cause of the explosion.
Dave Schudel, a fire investigation expert from the UK, led the investigation into the incident, in conjunction with the RCIPS Criminal Investigations Department.
Speaking to the Compass, RCIPS Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown said this was “the first explosion I think anyone’s got in memory of buildings blowing up like that.
“It was dramatic. It was extreme. Very fortunately, no one died,” he said.
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