OCALA, Fla. – A restaurant exploded in Ocala on Friday, forcing a road closure as crews worked to clean up in the aftermath, according to the police department.
Police said that the explosion caused the northbound and southbound lanes on Pine Avenue to close down between State Road 40 and Northwest 10th Street. All lanes have since reopened.
The explosion itself happened at Jugo Café Tropical, and first responders arrived around 7:32 p.m. to deal with the scene, police said in a release.
Ocala Fire Rescue released video showing the aftermath of the explosion.
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At 8:15 p.m., police announced that no one was inside when the explosion happened, and no injuries were reported. Furthermore, investigators explained that a gas leak appears to have been the cause.
UPDATE: Thankfully, no one was inside and no injuries were reported. It appears to be related to a gas leak. All northbound lanes are open. Southbound lanes are still closed but should open soon.
— Ocala Police (@ocalapd) June 24, 2023
News 6 reporter Treasure Robert arrived at the scene on Friday night, finding drywall in the road nearby the building. First responders told her that the fire was under control within less than five minutes.
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