INDIANAPOLIS --
A gas leak was responsible for an explosion and fire at a vacant storefront on Indianapolis' west side Monday evening, fire officials said Tuesday.
The fire was reported just before 6 p.m. at a former doughnut shop in the 6900 block of West Washington Street across from the Super Kmart.
Alex Torres witnessed the explosion and caught video of the flames on his cellphone.
"Oh my God. My heart was beating hard, and I was shaking, too," he said. "My wife was crying. I saw a few things fly everywhere."
People who live in the area reported their homes shook with the explosion and firefighters at the Wayne Township Fire Department, which is more than a mile away, reported hearing the explosion.
"The windows rattled. It made us jump. It scared us," said Vicky Richey, who lives four blocks away.
The explosion shattered the building's windows, sending shards of glass flying as far as 150 feet. Several large pieces of glass ended up impacted in the former Popeye's Chicken next door.
Neighbors said the building, which once housed a doughnut shop, was being renovated into two businesses -- a new nail shop and a restaurant.
The fire was extinguished within 30 minutes. Fire investigators said some witnesses reported seeing a car leaving the scene just before the explosion.
Firefighters and neighbors it's lucky no one was injured.
"The Kmart, you've got people walking everywhere, and then Bandi's (car repair shop), if they would have been open. they would have had customers right there also," said Cortney Swihart. "So somebody was watching over a lot of people tonight."
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