At Least 20 Injured in FL Mall Explosion
By By Jessica Schladebeck
Source New York Daily News
Jul. 6 -- At least 20 people were injured Saturday afternoon when a explosion ripped through a strip mall in South Florida, police said.
Dozens of first responders flocked to The Fountains mall in Plantation, located about six miles west of Fort Lauderdale, just after noon. When they arrived on the scene they found the windows completely blown out of an LA Fitness as well as several other damaged businesses and storefronts, WPLG reported.
Police said the blast was powerful enough to fling debris across the street from the complex. Plantation Fire Rescue spokesman Joel Gordon told the news station people were inside the LA Fitness when the incident occurred.
At least two of the injured people were seriously wounded, a hospital official confirmed. A fitness center employee with a hurt leg and a person struck by debris while charging their Tesla nearby were also among the injured.
"All stores and businesses in the area of the Fountains Plaza and the Plantation Marketplace near LA Fitness will be shut down until further notice until Fire Personnel can determine that it is safe to return," Plantation Police said in a tweet around 1 p.m. "Please do not come into this area if possible."
Police on Saturday afternoon continued to dig through the rubble, where they discovered several ruptured gas lines. Dogs and searchers are also combing the building's remains for possible trapped victims. Officers have not yet confirmed whether a gas leak caused the explosion and the origin of the blast is still unknown.
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