'www.facebook.com/TwoCatsVideoProduction Twenty-one people were injured, including two seriously, when an explosion erupted at an LA Fitness and several nearby stores of a Plantation, Florida, strip mall west of Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. Authorities believe it was a gas explosion. The impact sent large pieces of debris about 100 yards across the street. Joel Gordon, deputy chief of the Plantation Fire Department, said the 21 victims include a child, but the child is not among the two in serious condition. He didn\'t know how many of the injured were taken to the hospital. No fatalities have been reported, he said, and everyone is believed to be accounted for. \"Thank goodness, at this point, nobody was killed,\" Gordon said. \"As bad as it was, it could have been a lot worse.\" Gordon said the explosion appeared to have originated at an out-of-business restaurant called PizzaFire across the parking lot from the LA Fitness, but he said he couldn\'t confirm. He said first responders identified ruptured gas lines when they arrived on the scene and were able to secure the leak. Gordon said firefighters responded to a phone call about the explosion at 11:28 a.m. Several stores were damaged, he said, including the LA Fitness, where most of the injuries occurred, as well as chiropractor and dental offices, a hair-cut shop and multiple restaurants. The LA Fitness was open and full of patrons. Dan Feller was about 20 minutes into a yoga class at LA Fitness, sitting next to the instructor, when the explosion occurred. \"Things are going fine,\" he told 2CNY NEWS. \"Tough class. A little hard on my body. I couldn\'t do all the things I wanted. Then all of a sudden, we heard the loudest bang. I mean like a \'bang!\' \"I looked at the instructor and she looked at me, and the next thing we know, all the ceiling tiles were falling down and flaking on everyone, 50 of us in the class.\"'
Tags: la fitness , 2CNY NEWS , mall explosion
See also:
comments