Detroit, MI – Detroit fire officials are investigating what sparked a house explosion Friday night that injured one person on the city’s west side.
A neighbor called to report the blast in the 11000 block of Beaverland about 7:54 p.m., said Senior Chief Richard Wright of the Detroit Fire Department.
The house was destroyed; the homeowner the only one inside at the time was rushed to Detroit Receiving Hospital with burns, Wright said. It’s pretty miraculous that he survived.
It wasn’t clear what caused the explosion, but authorities are investigating the possibility that natural gas was involved, he said. We don’t know if it was a gas line or a gas leak or (the homeowner) was using gas.
DTE Energy crews shut off the gas at the home and utility investigators are assisting fire officials, spokeswoman Randi Berris said.
Workers were not in the neighborhood Friday, and the company had not received any complaints about gas odors in the area before the blast, she said.
No other injuries were reported, but some surrounding homes appeared to have been damaged, Wright said.