As we reported on Saturday, a potential gas explosion at a shopping center in Plantation Saturday morning left 23 people injured, 2 of them seriously. There was a child among the injured, but they were not seriously injured. No one was killed and all victims have been recovered, as reported by Plantation Fire Deputy Chief Joel Gordon in a press conference.
"We're relieved that considering the debris field and considering how we found the patients and where we found them, the injuries are not as severe as we would've thought they would be," said Deputy Chief Gordon.
Footage from the scene showed shattered windows at an LA Fitness, a pizza restaurant, and other shops at the mall complex. At least two businesses were destroyed by the explosion: Code Ninjas, a company that teaches coding to kids, and the office of Dr. Amanda Buscemi, a pediatrician. Neither office was open during the explosion, so no one was hurt in either building.
The Cause of the Explosion
CNN reports that the Plantation Fire Department said the cause of the explosion was a gas-related accident, but they had yet to confirm it as of Saturday night. Other sources said they walked back their initial statement.
We do know there was an "active gas leak" when they were called to the scene Saturday morning. Additionally, the gas company had received calls about a "gas smell" at the mall shortly before the explosion. One of the calls was in progress when the explosion occurred, which came from the chef at Pho Brothers, a shop next door to a possible 'ground zero' for the explosion. The state fire marshal, local agencies, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives are currently investigating.
For family members looking for their relatives, Deputy Chief Gordon says a reunification center has been set up at Plantation Central Park Gymnasium.
The Florida explosion attorneys at Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain, P.A. will be watching this story closely as it unfolds.