Mohammad Sarfraz of Thorncliff Drive dies following explosion in Woodstock Restaurant
20-year-old Mohammad Sarfraz resident of Thorncliff Park Drive who was critically injured in a restaurant explosion in Woodstock had died. His friend Osama Akhtar is also injured in the same incident is going under treatmentat London Health Sciences Center with life threatening injuries.
The two, both from the Toronto-area were caught in the blast at the Iron Grill Restaurant on August 12. The Iron Grill had been closed for three weeks because of flooding.
Police investigation into this incident is still ongoing, however, police have determined that the fire is suspicious and is deemed to be arson. Officials continue to investigate.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the Iron Grill Restaurant explosion in Woodstock. The Fire Marshall is still trying to find out where and how the fire started last Wednesday. And Police are still trying to figure out why two Toronto men were in the area at the time of the explosion. Akhtar is in critical condition with severe burns to their whole body.
Witnesses described the incident as “a fire flash explosion.” One Woodstock resident, who did not want to be named, saw the flames from his home near Alice Street.
The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office remained on the scene yesterday to collect evidence into the blaze.
“The investigation is into the origin and cause of the fire,” said fire investigator Gregory Olson. “We’re treating it as a suspicious fire because of the time of day and the fact there was an explosion.”
The Woodstock restaurant destroyed by a fiery explosion late Wednesday was listed for sale for $1.45 million. The Iron Grill property had been on the market for about a month, said Waterloo-based broker Sunil Chadha of Royal Lepage Scharf Realty. Chadha had the commercial property featured on his website — the restaurant was listed as 582 square metres on a 0.6-hectare lot. “I heard about (the fire), but I don’t know the nuts and bolts of it,” Chadha said yesterday, adding he spoke briefly with the owner.
Toronto-area man Umakanth Nadarajah and his family owned the Iron Grill after buying it in September 2007. A land registry search shows the property was bought for about $1 million. Attempts to reach the owner yesterday were unsuccessful. Fire officials were unable to estimate the damages to the restaurant.
Fire investigators were waiting for heavy equipment to knock down the roof so they could safely examine the interior of the restaurant. Blackened glass and debris was strewn across the parking lot behind the building.
Anyone that may have been in the area and observed an suspicious persons or anyone with information about this or any other crime, is asked to call the Oxford Community Police Service at 519-537-2323 or Crime Stoppers at 519-421-TIPS (8477) or toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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