DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit fire crews responded to a house explosion on the city's west side Thursday afternoon.
Watch Brett Kast's reports from the scene:
The house that exploded is in the 19000 block of Forrer Street, which is near the intersection of Greenfield and 7 Mile roads. It happened around 1:40 p.m.
Video from the scene shows the house destroyed and damage spread across the street and other homes.
See video from the scene below:
Fire officials tell us that the home was unoccupied at the time and no one was injured.
"We're thankful that no one was injured. The two neighboring homes next door, there is damage to both of those homes," said Chief Reginald Harper of the Detroit Fire Department. "They're structurally sound right now. They're standing up, but we just want to make sure there's no deficiencies in the integrity of that home."
Harper said the house had been vacant for two years, but a woman at the scene said she was days away from renting the home and moving in. She said DTE had visited the property just hours before the explosion to hook up natural gas service.
DTE Energy released a statement confirming they were at the home earlier Friday:
DTE Gas was on site at the home on Forrer St. in Detroit this morning to start natural gas service. An initial investigation at the scene has confirmed that all DTE equipment was in proper, safe working order. We’re continuing to work with local authorities to investigate the cause of the incident.
Safety is DTE’s top priority. As always, we encourage anyone who smells or suspects a natural gas leak to call 9-1-1 and then DTE’s leak hotline at 800-947-5000. DTE will help determine if a leak is present, identify the corrective action for the owner to take, and if necessary, shut off service as a safety precaution. Learn more at https://dteenergy.com/gassafety
Andre Thomas, who lives nearby, was talking with a neighbor directly outside the house moments before the explosion.
"He said he was cold — that's what saved us — he was cold," Thomas said. "He went in (his) house, I came and sat in my vehicle, one of my vehicles, and the house just blew three minutes later."
