OCALA, Fla. – Four people were injured Tuesday evening in an explosion at a laundromat, according to Ocala Fire Rescue.
The explosion happened along NE 25th Avenue at the Classic Laundromat & Dry Cleaner. Multiple units responded to the fire, which impacted seven adjacent shops. The Ocala Fire Department said the building has been around for 51 years.
“I was in the middle of doing something and I just heard this massive explosion,” said a person who called 911 dispatch from across the street Tuesday evening. “Our entire building just shook. I’ve got some sort of alarm going off in the store, I’m not sure if it’s our safe. But there’s debris falling all the way to our building. There’s smoke in the air, and it smells like gas outside.”
The caller said the smoke and debris appeared to be stopping traffic, and the smoke pouring from the building was black.
“Once the fire was extinguished inspectors assessed the building’s structural integrity, deeming the laundromat and seven adjacent shops inaccessible for regular operations,” the Ocala Fire Rescue wrote on social media.
Of the four who were injured, two were taken to the hospital, and the other two refused transport, fire officials added. The two were released from the hospital Tuesday night, according to a spokesperson for the Ocala Fire Department.
Lutora Waters, an employee at the laundromat, said everything was fine at the business on Tuesday morning.
“I got a call yesterday afternoon that somebody heard an explosion and smelled gas,” Waters said. “So I called the owner in and before he got here and before he got back it had exploded.”
Waters said she is devastated when she heard the news.
“I mean, this was my life, basically. I spent more time here than I did at home,” Waters continued. “I just feel so bad for them, because I can imagine what it’s doing to them because it’s devastating me.”
Video shared by Ocala Fire Rescue shows the debris in the aftermath of the explosion.
“I heard a big, loud boom...” a woman who worked at a gas station across the street told News 6. “Thought a car might have hit our store.”
“It shook the whole ground...boom!” said Timmy Tooker, who was nearby when the explosion happened.
According to rescue officials, Ocala Fire Rescue, Marion County Fire Rescue, the Ocala Police Department, Ocala Electric Utility, the building inspector, and TECO Gas were on the scene.
No additional information has been provided at this time, including details on what caused the explosion.
This is a developing story. Check back with News 6 for the latest updates.
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