Apartment explosion in Detroit leaves community with multiple injuries: Here's what we know
An emergency alert was sent across Detroit early Monday morning following a fire and possible explosion at an apartment building on Littlefield Street, leaving several people hospitalized.
An explosion at an apartment complex on Detroit's west side on Monday morning has left several people injured. According to Detroit firefighters, they rescued a dozen people and others hospitalized.
The scene happened in Littlefield Street, where people were jumping out of windows to escape. As Fox News report, officials arrived about 4 a.m.
Explosion in Detroit left several injuries
Among the victims, three individuals, including a 30-year-old man who suffered burns covering 90% of his body, were in serious condition. A 3-year-old child also sustained severe burns, with all burn victims coming from the same apartment.
“They quickly sprang into action, rescuing 12 people,” Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms said. “When they arrived, they saw people jumping from the building.” He added that without their quick response, the situation could have been much worse.
A local resident shared with WXYZ.com, "My son and two grandkids were trapped on the top floor and had to be rescued through the window because they couldn't escape any other way."
Officials are stabilizing the building for a secondary search but believe all residents have been accounted for. One neighbor described the explosion as sounding like a bomb, noting the absence of smoke or fire, which made it difficult to understand the cause.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Why an emergency alert for possible explosion was sent across Detroit
Many Metro Detroit residents were awakened by an emergency notification early Monday morning after a possible explosion at an apartment complex in Detroit.
According to clickondetroit.com, it's believed the possible explosion happened around 4 a.m., but the notification was sent out around 6 a.m.
However, the Detroit Fire Department confirmed with Local 4 that they sent the notification in error.
The notification was meant to be sent only to residents in the surrounding area but was sent to multiple areas in Metro Detroit by mistake.