05/13/2010 // West Palm Beach, FL, USA // Tara Monks // Tara Monks
Cleveland, OH – A house explosion on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 leveled three homes and injured 11 people, including five children, as reported by News Channel 5. The explosion occurred at approximately 8 a.m.
The home near Federal Drive and E. 177th, a few blocks away from Kerruish Park by Maple Heights, was reportedly vacant. All that remained after the blast was a hole. The two neighboring homes were obliterated to just chimney and one remaining wall. Approximately 16 homes suffered damages from the explosion.
Injuries were reported to be minor and mostly burns.
Public information officer for the Cleveland Fire Department, Larry Gray, said crews squelched the fires quickly, and the biggest problem came from debris from the explosion.
As onlookers gathered, police yelled for people to get back, claiming danger from a gas leak.
One neighbor related the sound of the explosion to that of a plane crash. Many reported shaking buildings and broken windows.
It was reported that people as far away as Bedord, Macedonia, Solon and Aurora heard the blast.
The American Red Cross opened a reception center for displaced residents at Emile Desaue School. Dominion East Ohio shut off gas to 17 homes in the area in order to keep it safe. Approximately 100 people were evacuated from their homes after the explosion, but were later allowed to return.
The gas company reported it had not received any complaints about a gas odor prior to the incident. The company also reported it will send a housing inspector to each home that had its gas cut off prior to turning it back on.
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