Dearborn, MI – A 77-year-old man working inside a vacant house in the 4900 block of Jonathon Street in Dearborn was injured in a natural gas explosion Wednesday.
Fire Chief Joseph Murray said the department received reports of a structure fire and a man on the front lawn of the house at about 11 a.m.
Firefighters found the man, who is the owner of the house, outside with severe burns. He was transported to Detroit Receiving Hospital where he is listed in critical condition, according to the Dearborn Police Department. Murray said they do not know how the man got outside.
He said there was not much of a fire and it was quickly extinguished. There were multiple windows and doors that had been blown off of the house because of the explosion, he said.
“One door went as far as across the street,” he said.
Firefighters determined that the gas leak was confined to that one house and that it originated from the stove. The injured man was working on the stove when the explosion occurred, according to police.
“We don’t know exactly what ignited the explosion. We’re still determining the cause of that,” Murray said.
The Dearborn Fire Marshal is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the explosion.