A Florida shopping center and gym were badly damaged in a gas explosion early afternoon on Saturday.
Authorities said there were up to 20 people injured, including two in critical condition who were taken by ambulance to Broward Health Medical Center, but no one was killed.
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“Thank goodness, at this point, nobody was killed,” Plantation Fire Deputy Chief Joel Gordon said. “As bad as it is, it could have been a lot worse.”
Videos shared to social media shortly after the blast show piles of smoldering debris and an L.A. Fitness with windows completely blown out of its collapsing facade. The explosion occurred at The Fountains shopping center in the south Florida city of Plantation, about 30 miles north of Miami.
Plantation fire and rescue confirmed that the explosion was caused by natural gas and that they are treating multiple patients. They have also encouraged local traffic to avoid the area that is now congested with emergency vehicles. Fire and rescue crews from five different local districts responded to the scene.
One local resident described the sound of the explosion as “a bomb just went off.”
.@DavieFireRescue Responding to gas explosion near south university Dr. and Peters Road. Gathering more information now. @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/kQLSFaFT3e
— Roy Ramos (@RRamosWPLG) July 6, 2019
#BREAKINGNEWS: Huge explosion reported in Plantation, Florida. Rescue crews are on the scene. The images are insane: pic.twitter.com/7efQ9GY2Pb
— kendis gibson (@kendisgibson) July 6, 2019
