Bayfield Crescent residents, whose homes were impacted by Monday’s house explosion, have started the process of repairing the resulting damage as police opened their street on Thursday night.
Handymen were seen busily replacing damaged windows and repairing roofs along the Newlands street when the Cayman Compass visited the area Friday.
It was the first time since Monday that regular traffic was allowed to enter the neighbourhood as police had removed the tape that cordoned off the area.
However, the house where the blast occurred remains cordoned off, with police officers in marked vehicles stationed near the property.
Police have said initial investigations into the 5 June blast did not point to any suspicious circumstances leading to the explosion, but the cause still remains unknown.
In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, police said the most severely injured victim in the explosion, which occurred at 1pm on Monday, 5 June, at the Bayfield Crescent house, remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Rex Watler, 44, was at the house at the time of the blast, a family friend told the Cayman Compass.
Returning to normal
A next-door neighbour to the property told the Compass it was a relief to be able to start repairing her home.
“The guy came this morning and started fixing the damage to the roof and replace windows,” the woman, who requested that her name be withheld, said, as she pointed to her now checkered-looking ceiling coloured by a mix of white and brown boards.
She said when the blast happened, her home was closed off by the police cordon.
Though she said she was able to move in and out of her home, police did not allow anyone else in.
While things are slowly returning to normal for the residents, the woman said, there is still a feeling of uneasiness over the community as they remain in the dark about what happened Monday afternoon to cause the blast.
‘Unbelievable’
She said she was at home when the incident happened and though days have passed, she still cannot believe the blast occurred next door.
“This is a quiet community, I never expected this here. I was doing my chores inside when I just hear this loud bang,” she recounted.
The woman said she rushed outside to see her neighbour screaming and running towards the damaged house with her cellphone camera in hand.
“I didn’t know what happened. Then when I walked, I saw the house… I could not believe it,” she said.
She said she would like to know what happened for her peace of mind.
Added to this, she said, she wants the property to be taken care of or cleared as soon as possible.
A foul stench, she said, has been coming from the property and she has been disinfecting around her home to help control the smell.
“They need to deal with it,” she said.
The property is a picture of complete destruction.
The house appeared mangled as part of the roof seemed to have collapsed inside and debris was scattered all over the front and back areas.
Vehicles parked in the yard show evidence of the impact of the blast as the windshields and windows were either completely shattered or had gapping holes in the glass.
Some of the houses on the street had plyboards over broken or missing windows, while others had hurricane shutters pulled in to cover the damage.
As the investigation continues, the family that was residing in the now severely damaged home has been moved into a hotel.
They are looking for an apartment, a source close to the family said.
A designated shopping cart remains at Foster’s Countryside, labelled ‘Donation for Watler family’, for food and other supplies to be dropped off.
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