A male victim has been transported to the hospital following an explosion that destroyed a home in Pickering Monday afternoon.

Emergency crews were called to the area of York Durham Line and 16th Avenue around 2:20 p.m. for reports of a “fully-involved house fire.”

Aerial footage of the scene shows thick black smoke hovering above a large amount of debris, which is scattered across the area. Small pockets of flames were still visible around 3:30 p.m.

“The entire house was levelled,” Pickering’s Chief Fire Prevention Officer Steve Fowlds told CP24. “The whole house is now either scattered across the property or collapsed into the basement of the home.”

Five fire trucks were dispatched to the scene from Ajax, Markham and Pickering at the height of the fire.

Police said that one male was taken to Sunnybrook hospital following the incident. The extent of his injuries is not yet known.

Ontario Deputy Fire Marshal Douglas Browne said that the investigation into the incident is in its preliminary stages.

“There definitely was an explosion at the scene,” Browne said. “The evidence is pointing that there was an explosion then a subsequent fire, but again we are really going to take a few days before we make that determination of what was the cause of the explosion and fire.”

Fowlds said that crews will be working overnight and into the morning to investigate the cause of the fire.

Roads in the area are blocked off.