Three workers managed to get out of a two-storey house under renovation before it collapsed in dramatic fashion on Wednesday morning.
The home was a pile of rubble after the collapse, and its brick walls, windows and roof laid in a mess on the property in the afternoon hours.
Investigators could not immediately pinpoint the cause of the accident, although it is believed one of the walls gave way.
The workers were not injured but would not comment on their harrowing ordeal.
However, witness John Trela said that he noticed that something didn't seem right just before the collapse at about 8:30 a.m.
"The whole thing was leaning over the sidewalk. It looked like it was going to tip and there was people standing in front of it," he said.
"I came back now, just to take a look, and I see that it's all closed off and the house is completely gone."
The owner of the house said that the workers were doing under-pinning in the basement in an attempt to lower the floor.
But when they heard a cracking sound, they decided to run for their lives.
Another neighbour, Luana Bell, said she was shocked to see the house reduced to a pile of brick and rubble.
"I saw the roof and I couldn't believe it and I knew exactly which house it was because I've lived here for 53 years," she said.
A stretch of Cawthra Road in Mississauga was closed Wednesday after the 60-year-old house collapsed, as police and fire crews arrived on the scene.
The gas line was ruptured, and crews switched off the flow to contain any leaks. Gas crews were dispatched to the scene and a number of homes in the area were evacuated.
Three workers were in the house at the time of the incident but there was no report of injuries.
Representatives from the Ministry of Labour later interviewed the construction workers about their close call.
The house had been converted into a business that sells windows and doors several years ago.
The owner of the house said he bought the property two decades ago and will rebuild at the site.
