At least 15 injured in explosion at Florida shopping center

Miami — At least 15 people were injured Saturday in an explosion triggered by a gas leak at a shopping center in Plantation , Florida, a city just north of Miami, local firefighters said.

The incident at The Fountains shopping center left two people seriously injured, Plantation Fire Battalion Chief Joel Gordon said at a press conference.

Thus far, there have been no reports of fatalities nor any indication of the precise location of the gas leak that caused the explosion.

Firefighters said that they were still trying to locate more victims but believe that all of the injured are accounted for and are now receiving medical treatment.

Images of the explosion uploaded to the WPLG Local 10 station’s Web site show that the LA Fitness gym (located inside the shopping center) was seriously damaged in the blast, with window panes and other debris strewn on the pavement.

In the wake of the explosion, members of the police forces serving Plantation and other nearby cities, as well as of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, were dispatched to the scene.

The Plantation Police Department cordoned off the area and closed nearby streets to vehicular traffic.

“All stores and businesses in the area of (The Fountains shopping center) and the Plantation Marketplace plaza near LA Fitness will be shut down until further notice until Fire Personnel can determine that it is safe to return. Please do not come into this area if possible,” that police force said on Twitter.

Some local residents said on social media that they heard a powerful explosion and then felt the ground shake.

“We just felt the whole building shake,” a woman who works at LA Fitness and identified herself as Christina J. told the Miami Herald. “The ceilings started collapsing in. The windows blew in.”

She told that newspaper that she saw two bright lights at the time of the blast and that gym users and personnel rushed for the exits.

“There was no screaming or running,” Christina said, adding that “everyone was trying to get out.”

The Fountains shopping center is home to more than 50 commercial establishments, including restaurants and sporting and clothing stores. EFE-EPA

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