31-03-2025
6 Children and Pregnant Woman Among 13 Hospitalized After Apartment Explosion
Six children were among the 13 people injured during an early morning explosion at a Detroit apartment building, authorities said.
The Detroit Fire Department responded to a 911 call at a 12-unit apartment building around 4 a.m. local time on Monday, March 31, Corey McIsaac, the department's director of media relations, said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. "Thankfully due to our teams getting there so fast, everyone was rescued from the building," he added.
As of 1:30 p.m., a 27-year-old woman, a 28-year-old man and a 3-year-old girl remained in critical condition, McIsaac said. They are all being treated for burns. A 26-year-old pregnant woman is still being monitored. The other transported individuals received treatment and have been released.
After the initial explosion, resident Steffen Moore told Fox affiliate WJBK that he thought someone had crashed into the building.
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"I thought it was just somebody had crashed into the building literally, but then you look at it and there's no fire, there's none of that," Moore told the outlet. "It sounded like a bomb. Because I didn't smell any smoke, I don't see any fire. You don't smell any chemicals.'
After the explosion occurred, crew members from the fire department helped trapped residents vacate the second floor, authorities said.
In a news conference, Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms told reporters that without the quick action by firefighters, the injuries would have been worse, according to the Detroit Free Press. Simms noted that some residents were attempting to jump out of windows, but were saved by crew members.
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One man, who had six relatives in the building, shared what it was like for his loved ones to be trapped on the second floor.
'My son and my two grandkids were on this side right here. They had to get them out through the window. They were stuck in there," the grandfather told ABC affiliate WXYZ.
He added, 'They had to get them out through the window. They live on the top. So they were stuck in there, they couldn't get down, so they had to go and get them through the back way."
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After the building was vacated, the fire department used drones to conduct thermal imaging to confirm that no one else was inside, officials said.
The building was set to be demolished that same day because it was so unstable, authorities said. The city's construction and demolition department was on the scene that morning to take down the building in partnership with investigators to determine the cause of the explosion.
An investigation is ongoing.
Read the original article on People
