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Four people were hospitalized after a suspected natural gas leak ended in an explosion Monday night.
CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A newly obtained incident report is shedding light on an explosion at an Oakleaf Plantation home that sent four people, including two children, to the hospital Monday night.
Clay County Fire Rescue responded to a home on Sycamore Way around 7:31 p.m. Monday, in reference to a reported fire or explosion, the incident report states. Fire crews determined that four people were inside the home at the time of the explosion, and they were taken to the hospital in an unknown condition.
The report states that an 84-year-old woman who was inside at the time explosion told fire rescue officials she had complained about a gas smell the same day, indicating a possible gas leak.
According to the report, the woman told fire rescue that she turned on a dryer in the garage, which caused the air to ignite, causing the explosion.
The explosion caused the home’s garage to buckle and balloon out, and the front door to be knocked off its hinges.
A fire marshal responded to the scene to conduct an investigation, who advised that he did not observe anything “suspicious” at the time, the report states. The fire marshal said the most probable cause of the explosion was from a natural gas leak.
The Dixon family, who live next door, said they heard a giant boom, sending them outside to see their neighbor’s home engulfed in flames. The family told First Coast News they heard their neighbors scream for help as well.
Not only was Kat Dixon worried for the safety of her neighbors, but said she was also worried about her food truck catching fire in her family’s driveway.
“The flames are blowing, they were overtaking this side of my house I have to move my food truck,” Dixon said. “The neighbors were like, ‘Hey, let’s shut off your gas,’ because my gas was on the opposite side, but still close and the flames were overtaking.”
The official cause of the explosion is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal.