When a piece of debris from blasting at the Hamilton Boulevard construction site hit the roof of Susie Anne Bartsch's mobile home on Tuesday, she was sitting down at the dinner table with her three-year-old daughter, Jessie, and five other people.

"I can't begin to comprehend ... just the thought of that 25-pound rock ..." the Lobird Park resident said in an interview this morning, at a loss for words.

She guesses that if the incident had happened 10 minutes earlier, her daughter would have been outside on the swing set.

Today is Jessie's third birthday.

"I don't think you get it until you have a kid of your own," Bartsch said.

She said her heart goes out to Candace Carpenter, who was actually hit with a chair struck by the debris, as reported in Wednesday's Star.

"It's not a short-term process, getting over something like this," Bartsch said. "That sort of image does not leave a person's brain, it just keeps playing over and over."

Bartsch spoke about an incident that happened when she was 19, when a drunk driver drove his truck into her classroom at 90 km/h.

"I'm 40 now, and I've never forgotten that moment," she said.

"We were never given appropriate warning about the blasting," she said.

She remembers a time, a couple of weeks ago, when she heard a warning bell while out in the yard. But the bell is not loud enough to hear inside, especially if the TV is on or they're working in the kitchen.

"I would like for people to have their voices more clearly heard on this issue," she said, calling the nearby construction "disrespectful" and dangerous.

Recently, when workers were burning brush, pollutants were making residents of Lobird Park sick, she said.

"Thank God I was out of town at the time," she said.

"We need to know they're using blasting mats every time they blast," she said.

"I don't imagine this project will stop, but we need to be assured they are taking every possible precaution."

Workers from Kelly Construction have been by the Carpenter and Bartsch residences, and have been helping with repairs to their homes.

However, neither family has received a proper explanation for why this happened, or how the Yukon government, which is paying for most of the $15-million road extension project, will proceed.

"I haven't even spoken to the owner (of Sidhu construction)," said Russ Carpenter. "I understand he's out of town, but still ... I need to know what sort of compensation we'll receive, and I need to be assured our place will be put back to how it was before."

Though his roof has been re-shingled and the hole patched, the interior of his living room is still a mess. Insulation, pieces of wood and chunks of drywall still litter the floor.

Carpenter said his wife is really upset and hurting.

Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell, meanwhile, pressed for answers regarding the blasting incident during the legislature's question period on Wednesday.

(The park is in his Copperbelt riding, not in cabinet minister Elaine Taylor's Whitehorse West constituency, as reported yesterday.)

"Can the minister explain how this was allowed to happen on the government's construction project?" Mitchell asked Wednesday.

Community Services Minister Glenn Hart acknowledged that the incident was very serious, and said an independent review was underway

"We are very happy to hear that there was no serious injury to any individual in the park," he said.

"We have ceased all further demolition on the highway until we can get an independent review of the situation."

Mitchell continued to question Hart.

"I understand that the blasting permit on the project has been suspended and that a stop-work order has been issued with regard to the blasting.

But can the minister now give us his assurance that this dangerous activity will not happen again?" asked Mitchell.

"No further blasting will take place until that review is here," said Hart.

Hart also told the assembly that he'd instructed his staff to meet with the trailer park residents and "assure them of the processes that we are going through and to ensure that the situation doesn't happen again."

Mitchell also stated that there have been reports of the company operating without blasting coverings.

The Star has also received reports of the company no longer using the requisite coverings, because staff felt they were far enough from residential areas.

"Who will be held liable? Who is responsible for covering the damages?

"Who is responsible for covering any expenses related to health care that may not be covered in terms of our regular health care coverage? .... Will the government be assuming all responsibility for damages to homes as well as people's injuries? That's what the people want to know," said Mitchell.

Hart reiterated that government officials are waiting for the review, and repeated that his staff will be meeting personally with residents. He did not answer any of the other questions posed by Mitchell.

The Liberal leader visited the community last night, spending two hours speaking with residents, who he described as "terrified" and "angry".

"This is not just about physical damage," he said in an interview this morning.

"Their feeling is, it's a miracle no one was hurt or killed," he said. He added that they feel their complaints have been falling on deaf ears.

Mitchell heard stories from several residents, including a woman who described seeing "a shower of rocks like incoming gunfire." She was in the yard, and dove out of the way. Rocks landed all around her.

Another resident showed Mitchell a spot where a rock had hit a chain link fence, stretching it out "like a soccer goal."

The resident hypothesized that if the fence hadn't been there, the rock would've hit a neighbour's oil tank.

According to Mitchell, residents have asked for proper warnings about the blasting. They would like to either see a loudspeaker installed or have a truck drive through the area to inform people. The bell that is currently being utilized is "totally unsatisfactory" said Mitchell.

Kurt Dieckmann, the director of occupational health and safety for the territorial workers' compensation board, is overseeing the investigation at the work site.

Dieckmann, who has never heard of a similar incident occurring in the Yukon, said the board has the power to "order changes" if it finds unsafe practices have been used.

He is reluctant to "hazard a guess" on how long the investigation will take, but said a typical investigation can take anywhere from "an afternoon" to "months and months."