Explosion at Florida strip mall injures 23, officials say

Neil Vigdor and Mariel Padilla

July 7, 2019 5:38 PM

Twenty-three people were injured in an explosion at a South Florida strip mall Saturday, all of whom were expected to survive, an official said.

Explosion at Florida strip mall injures 23, officials say

The official, Jason Nunemaker, the chief administrative officer for the city of Plantation, said Saturday night that everyone had been accounted for and that one trauma patient was upgraded to stable condition.

He toured the site — known as the Market on University — multiple times and said the debris field and shrapnel were reminiscent of damage from a hurricane. Officials said they were exploring a gas leak as the possible cause of the blast, which occurred around 11:30 a.m. in the Broward County city, about 30 miles north of Miami.

“It’s a miracle,” Nunemaker said. “We were very fortunate that we didn’t experience something much worse. I was relieved that it wasn’t more serious with regard to casualties.”

Social media posts showed widespread damage to the retail center, which is home to an LA Fitness gym and several restaurants.

Joel Gordon, the deputy chief of the Plantation Fire Department, said the cause of the explosion had not been confirmed, and Cherie Jacobs, a spokeswoman for Teco Peoples Gas, said the company was working with fire officials to investigate.

“I don’t know that there was a leak,” Jacobs said. “Our first priority is ensuring the area is safe. We have shut off the gas.”

Arson and explosives investigators from the Miami division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene Saturday afternoon, the bureau said on Twitter.

Daniel Hubert, 20, said he had been working out at the fitness center when he felt the building shake moments before he heard the explosion.

“A lot of the ceiling started to fall, and the weights were shaking from the shock of the explosion,” Hubert said. “Everyone was running around. It was a lot of chaos.”

Neil Vigdor and Mariel Padilla