14 DAY TRIAL // A building has collapsed, injuring eight people, after an explosion in Philadelphia. The structure was not inhabited, but the blast sent debris flying out into the street.
The Philadelphia Daily News informs that initial investigations reveal that a gas blast caused the damage. The building has been totaled and several homes in the area have been damaged.
The incident took place at 11:09 a.m. on Monday, July 29. A contractor tried to turn on a hot-water heater operating on gas.
He sparked a blast that caused him severe burns and landed him in the hospital. He was the only person in the building at the time and his injuries were the most serious.
When the house at 428 Daly St. collapsed, it broke windows on neighboring homes and broke into flames, causing damage.
"Everything we ever owned is all gone," resident Sekeya Fields describes.
"Everything just came down. [...] I was nervous, shocked. It was a rush," adds Jukennith Smith, 35.
They lived in neighboring row houses. Walls on the two homes next to the building that blew up were torn down.
The bricks fell over cars stationed in the driveway, and residents of 70 homes on Daly and Wolf Street have been evacuated.
"It shook. [...] You knew something fell," says Judy Delisi.
"The whole foundation shook," business owner Victor Masella details.
The vacant home was up for a major renovation job, according to paperwork filed on April. Heating works included equipping the property with a furnace.
According to the PGW, there are no records of gas leak reports on the block. However, one neighbor is convinced that she smelled gas in the basement just five minutes before hearing the bang.
"We have no record of anyone calling in, no one in that area," states PGW spokeswoman Melanie McCottrey.