Explosion at Florida shopping plaza injures 23: ‘Looks like an apocalypse’

A vacant pizza restaurant exploded Saturday in a thundering roar at a South Florida shopping plaza, injuring at least 23 people as large chunks of concrete flew through the air.

The blast flung debris widely along a busy road in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant was destroyed, and nearby businesses and cars were damaged. Firefighters found ruptured gas lines afterward and said it was an apparent gas explosion.

One witness told ABC Miami affiliate WPLG that a huge flash of light “lit up the whole sky.”

“It just looks like an apocalypse,” she added.

“It was loud. We thought it was thunder at first, and then we felt the building shake and things started falling. I looked outside and it was almost like the world was ending,” said Alex Carver, a worket at a deli across the street from the explosion. “It was nuts, man. It was crazy.”

The explosion hurled large pieces of concrete up to 50 yards (45 meters) away and sent pieces of metal scattering as far as 100 yards (90 meters) across the street. Carver said two of his co-workers’ cars were destroyed.

At least 23 people were injured, including two with serious injuries, authorities said.

The explosion demolished the building, leaving behind only part of its metal frame. The restaurant, called PizzaFire, had been out of business for several months. The blast also blew out the windows of a popular fitness club next door at the shopping plaza in Broward County.

Jesse Walaschek had just left the fitness club with his wife and three children, ages 4, 6 and 8. They were parked near the restaurant and had just driven about 50 yards (45 meters) away when they heard the blast.

“It was a massive explosion like I have never experienced,” he said.

Walasheck said dust and debris filled the air.

“Everything just stopped. You didn’t see anybody. I just wanted to get these guys safe,” he said, pointing to his children. “If this had happened a minute before when we were getting the kids in the car, it would have been really bad.”

Dozens of firefighters responded and could be seen picking through the rubble after the explosion, with dogs sniffing through the debris to make sure people weren’t trapped underneath. A search of the blast zone has since been completed and authorities said there were no known fatalities.

“At this point, nobody was killed. Thank goodness for that. As bad as it is, it could have been a lot worse,” said Fire department Battalion Chief Joel Gordon.

He indicated there were ruptured gas lines when firefighters arrived, but he couldn’t say for certain that it was a gas explosion.

“At this point, we have not actually confirmed that it was an explosion due to gas,” Gordon said. “We believe that. That’s what it appears to be.

The Florida blast comes just one day after an explosion at a dormitory injured eight people at the University of Nevada, Reno.