PHOENIX (AP) -- A fiery explosion leveled an eight-unit apartment building early Wednesday, seriously injuring at least two people. One person was unaccounted for.
Authorities had not determined the cause of the 1 a.m. blast but wanted to question a resident facing eviction. A search for the man was under way.
The injured, a man and a woman, were taken to Maricopa Medical Center. A nursing supervisor said the man was listed in critical condition with trauma injuries and burns, and the woman was listed in serious condition with trauma injuries.
The blast shattered 50 to 60 windows in other nearby apartment buildings and catapulted bricks on to cars in the parking lot. The are three other buildings in the complex where the explosion happened, and other apartment buildings near by.
``The walls blew out and the roof just pancaked right down,'' fire Capt. Mark Angle said.
Fire officials said it was unclear whether the person still missing was at home when the explosion happened. They expected to search the area after a structural engineer declared it safe, which was expected sometime in the afternoon.
Shauntia Stuart, who lives in the apartment complex, said she was awakened by the sound of the explosion.
``All I could see was a big ball of fire,'' she said.
