Mass. natural gas explosion damaged 42 buildings

Inspectors stand in debris, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, at the site of a gas explosion that leveled a strip club in Springfield, Mass., on Friday evening. Investigators were trying to figure out what caused the blast where the multi-story brick building housing Scores Gentleman's Club once stood. / AP Photo/Jessica Hill

Updated 6:03 PM ET

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Preliminary investigations show more than 40 buildings were damaged in a natural gas explosion in Massachusetts that injured 18 people, building inspectors said Saturday.

A strip club was flattened and a day care center was heavily damaged in the massive explosion Friday night in Springfield, one of New England's biggest cities.

No one was killed in the explosion.

Investigators were trying Saturday to figure out what caused the blast that could be heard for miles, left a large hole in the ground where the multistory brick building housing Scores Gentleman's Club once stood and scattered debris over several blocks.

Officials already had evacuated part of the entertainment district after responding to a gas leak and odor reported about an hour before the explosion. Gas workers venting a gas leak got indications that the building was about to explode and they ducked for cover behind a utility truck — along with firefighters and police officers — just before the blast, said Mark McDonald, president of the New England Gas Workers Association.

Most of the injured were in that group, and the truck that saved their lives was essentially demolished, he said.

"It really is a miracle and it's an example of our public safety officials, each and every day, putting themselves in harm's way, taking what could have been considered a very routine call of an odor of gas, but they took the proper precautions," State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said. "And thanks to God that they did."

Officials also marveled how the 5:30 p.m. blast occurred when a day care center next door was closed. The center's building was heavily damaged.

A damaged apartment building near the site of a gas explosion that leveled a strip club in Springfield, Mass., Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012.

/ AP Photo/Jessica Hill

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno were attending a tree-lighting ceremony when the explosion occurred. Sarno said some people mistakenly thought the boom was part of the holiday event.

The explosion blew out windows in a three-block radius, leaving at least three buildings irreparably damaged and causing emergency workers to evacuate a six-story apartment building that was buckling, police said. Pieces of broken glass littered streets and sidewalks. It was unclear how many residents had been evacuated. A shelter was set up at a school, but city officials said no one stayed there overnight.

Omar Fermin, manager of the Punta Cana Restaurant two blocks from the explosion site, found the floor-to-ceiling windows blasted out when he came to check on the property Saturday morning.

"It looks like an earthquake hit," said Fermin, a native of the Dominican Republic. "I've never seen anything like it."

He said he was waiting for someone to come and assess the damage. He worried the restaurant would remain closed for weeks while the owner seeks to replace the massive custom-made windows.

Authorities cordoned off the center of the explosion Saturday as building inspectors worked to identify unsafe structures. Anxious residents gathered at the perimeter, waiting for permission to visit their buildings.

Preliminary reports show the blast damaged 42 buildings housing 115 residential units, said Thomas Walsh, spokesman for Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno.

Three buildings were immediately condemned, and 24 others require additional inspections by structural engineers to determine whether they are safe, Walsh said.

Dogs trapped in abandoned buildings barked loudly Saturday as building inspectors fanned out across the area. One inspector said he wished he could get a ladder and permission to retrieve a dog that was barking in the upper floor of one building sealed off from residents.

Authorities are opening an animal shelter for pets affected by the explosion, Walsh said.

Coan, the fire marshal, said his office is investigating the cause of the blast and its possible origin. The state's Department of Public Utilities was also investigating.

Sheila Doiron, a spokeswoman for Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, said the company will continue to monitor for any potential leaks within several blocks of the blast site. So far, she said, the company hadn't yet found any measurable readings.

The utility will keep at least 30 workers at the scene, along with a so-called sniffing car mounted with sophisticated gadgets capable of detecting low levels of gas leaks, Walsh said.

Doiron said the company also didn't find in its records any gas odor calls to the area where the strip club was located.

Authorities also deployed police officers throughout the area to prevent looting, Walsh said.

The victims were taken to two hospitals in the city. Those injured were nine firefighters, two police officers, four Columbia Gas workers, two civilians and another city employee.

Springfield, which is 90 miles west of Boston and has about 150,000 residents, is the largest city in western Massachusetts. It's known as the home of the Basketball Hall of Fame, which is not near the blast site.

The city has been rebuilding from damage caused by a tornado in June 2011.

Wayne Davis, who lives about a block from the destroyed building, said he felt his apartment shake.

"I was laying down in bed, and I started feeling the building shaking and creaking," he said.

The Navy veteran said the boom from the explosion was louder than anything he'd ever heard, including the sound of a jet landing on an aircraft carrier.

The blast was so loud it was heard in several neighboring communities. Video from WWLP-TV showed the moment of the explosion, with smoke billowing into the air above the neighborhood.

[AOCGUY]

I find it ironic that a strip club would be called a gentlemen's club. When one considers that the clientel are most likley middle aged men who pay money to watch young girls barely out of their teens (if even that old) take off their clothes, I would hardly call them gentlemen - perverts is a better description.

[curiousowl]

There is a perfectly logical explanation why to why these explosions are happening, simply the infrastructure is old and tired and it needs to be replaced. It was not a bomb or a conspiracy of evil. Once we can finally win the war on terror and it is practical to bring our troops home we can then put our $$$$$ resources and transfer the brave men and woman who serve in combat to begin to rebuild our aging roads, highways, sewer, and gas pipes, furthermore; perhaps, when we win the war on terror we can build a comprehensive high speed train network that will link ever major city in the United States.

[RobertVBrand]

Meanwhile the energy companies tell us how safe natural gas is.

[intonews]

There's a daycare center next to a strip club???? Wow...city planning at its finest.

[mr7bf7]

This was NOT a Natural Gas Explosion!!!
Natural Gas does NOT have this kind of POWER!
This was a BOMB! B O M B!!!
Petroleum Corporations also constantly miss inform the Public about Propane Explosions by blaming it on Natural Gas!

[IPonUall2]

This is what happens when a hot blonde picks the wrong pole to rub up against!!!

[aubfmet]

What is __A strip club ?

[jeffkro]

I am a giant fan of women dancing around naked and I have to say this is a world class tragedy.

[boba2222]

how about naked men, as that was what was dancing at Scores. How would you like one of those flopping in your face?

[OwnerBatCaveRiverCottages]

These gas leaks are happening everywhere.

[curiousowl]

they are happening because of the outdated infrastructure, I am curious what year they installed those gas lines? and What is the inspection process that code enforcement uses to make sure the lines are safe?