Seattle officials say an early morning natural gas explosion that injured nine firefighters and destroyed or damaged businesses in the Greenwood neighborhood was accidental, but investigators are still determining where the gas leak occurred.
At least 36 businesses suffered some kind of damage in the blast, said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. During an afternoon news conference next to the debris, Murray said police planned to increase patrols in the area to provide extra security.
A gas leak was first reported at 1:04 a.m. Wednesday. The explosion tore through the neighborhood 39 minutes later, leveling buildings and reducing businesses, including the Neptune Cafe, Mr. Gyros, and a Quick Stop convenience store, to rubble.
“The windows are blown out for half a block on all sides. So it was a huge explosion. It was extremely loud. It was out of control. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” said one neighbor.