WEST PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - Destruction unfolded in the dead of night as a massive explosion rocked a once-quiet West Park neighborhood, leaving a family of four injured.
Emergency calls flooded in just before midnight Monday, reporting a loud boom heard throughout the area. The source of the commotion was quickly identified as a house, located at 5241 SW 20th St., suspected to have exploded due to a gas leak.
First responders rushed to the explosive emergency, discovering a home obliterated by the blast. Firefighters initiated searches for individuals within the affected residence, while deputies evacuated nearby homes.
While the cause of the rubble remains unknown, video footage confirms a devastating explosion early Tuesday.
Live video footage captured the aftermath, revealing a scene where the affected house once stood, now reduced to rubble. Multiple homes and cars in the vicinity also suffered damage from the blast.
Officials, including a heavy presence from the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) and Fire Rescue, arrived at the scene around 12:30 a.m.
Viewers’ videos depicted a stark landscape of destruction, with debris scattered where the home once stood. Witnesses reported live search dogs on-site, and two children on a stretcher were observed, it was later confirmed that they resided in the house that exploded.
City of Hollywood excavators joined the investigation, further aiding law enforcement in examining the scene.
According to BSO officials, four individuals, including two children, have been transported to area hospitals due to injuries sustained in the explosion. The victims, identified as a family of four, are currently receiving medical attention at First Memorial Regional Hospital. Three individuals have been transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami due to the severity of their injuries.
West Park’s mayor said they are ready to support the people who live in the neighborhood. A few other homes and cars along the block also had some sort of damage.
“We’re directing them initially to the Red Cross,” Mayor Felicia M. Brunson said. “Then from there, we’ll make sure that we connect them with any other resources that are available.”
The community, shaken by the incident, said that the impact was felt within a mile of the home.
A Ring camera video shared by a viewer emphasized the magnitude of the explosion, capturing the sound’s intensity. One resident, describing the experience, noted smelling burnt rubber after the blast.
“I heard this loud explosion; it was like an earthquake,” Adrian Mowat said. “It was so impact, I felt like the house was coming in on me. About a minute after that, cops came and fire trucks and ambulances. I went outside to see what happened. After about 20 minutes, I saw two kids in sweaters, and they went into an ambulance. They rushed them off,” recounted a local resident.
Many residents in the area experienced tremors and loud noises that awoke some neighbors.
“I pretty much seen debris everywhere,” recalled Adrian Moaat, a nearby resident. “The way it sounded, it sounded like an explosion. It sounded like a car blew up right here, but it happened two blocks over.”
“It felt like [my house] was gonna fall back. It shook from the ground,” said Magdalene.
Neighbors came out of their homes to what was described as a war-zone. Moaat started recording what he saw and he said he was shocked.
“In the house, they seem to be somewhat all right, but they probably couldn’t hear because when I was trying to call their attention, they were sitting there looking shocked,” he said. “I don’t think they could hear. I think it was too loud.”
Some residents who lived a few blocks away even had windows blown out.
“It was loud enough to wake me,” said Glen Seymour.
Neighbors are just praying the family turns out OK.
“It was not a good sight,” said one neighbors. “I was really anxious. I’m just hoping for those two kids to be OK.”
Khadija Orr said she was sleeping in the house next door when the home exploded. She fled in fear that her house would explode next.
“The window was already shattered, but when he was telling me to get out, I couldn’t go out the room door so, I had to jump out the window,” she recalled. “When I jumped out the window, they were saying something about gas, so I just started running.”
Bandages covered her wounds from jumping out of the broken glass window.
Orr’s house was not the only homeowner who was affected by the blast.
“The city is in contact with a structural engineer that’s going to determine if any other homes in the area are damaged to the point where they need to be red tagged,” said Fire Rescue PIO Battalion Chief Michael Kane.
Kane arrived at the scene at 8:30 a.m. and provided more details about the incident.
He said the injuries sustained by the victims included burns, inhalation issues, and trauma, all categorized as serious and life-threatening.
Although a total of 75 firefighters from different departments, including Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale International Airport, responded to the incident, the fire that ignited after the explosion managed to extinguish itself.
During most of the day, investigators and crews looked over the debris, which they continued to do into the night.
“You go to bed at night and you expect to wake up and everything is OK, but last night, in the middle of the night, everyone was shaken,” Brunson said.
Preliminary investigations point towards a gas explosion; however, there is no confirmation of a gas line running in the neighborhood.
“At this point, we don’t know the source of the explosion,” said Kane. “We just know that the explosion was caused by some type of gas.”
According to Chief Kane, the State Fire Marshal is actively working to determine the exact cause of the explosion.
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