Police probe weekend apartment blast

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Police in Vancouver, Canada, were trying to determine what led to a weekend explosion in an apartment that killed a woman and badly burned a man.

A powerful explosion in a fifth-story unit at 8 a.m. Saturday shook the building and blew out windows, The Province newspaper in Vancouver said.

"Investigators do not believe this was random, as the fire was deliberately set and a man was seen running from the building shortly after the explosion," police spokeswoman Constable Jana McGuinness said.

Returning to the building Sunday after being evacuated a day earlier, resident Colin Yang told the newspaper there was still a strong odor in the building.

"I can smell a strong gas smell, like gasoline," he said.

An unidentified 26-year-old woman known to police was killed in the blast. A 21-year-old male roommate who police described as an innocent bystander was found badly burned sitting on a curb when they arrived. He was listed in critical condition Sunday night, the report said.

The search continued Monday for the man who fled the scene, police said.