Crews responded to a report of a gas leak early Wednesday morning in the Greenwood neighborhood along a main thoroughfare north of downtown when the explosion occurred.
The blast sent nine firefighters to the hospital where all were treated and released. There were no reports of any other injuries and while dogs were brought in to search the rubble, there were no reports of anyone missing. The blast damaged 36 businesses and totally destroyed three buildings, reports ABC News.
“The most important thing is that no one died and this happened at two in the morning and not two in the afternoon,” said Chris Maykut, owner of Chaco Canyon Organic Café. “If it had happened at two in the afternoon, things would be really bad right now.”
Video surveillance from the Olive and Grape Mediterranean Restaurant showed a bright flash at 1:43 a.m. The room started shaking and pieces of the ceiling fell. “The Olive and Grape was lucky,” owner Paola Kossack said in an email.
Emergency calls right after the explosion revealed the chaos. “Mayday, mayday, mayday,” a fire dispatcher screamed immediately after the explosion, calling for a full response. “I have firefighters missing.” Kenny Stuart, president of the Seattle firefighters union, said it was very lucky that no first responders were seriously hurt in the explosion.
King5.com said that Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, along with other city officials held an afternoon news conference to share the latest information on the natural gas explosion. The mayor said that while the investigation into the explosion is going on, the area around N. 85 and Greenwood Avenue N. will remain closed, so commuters will need to take a different route.
The mayor also confirmed that the nine firefighters had been taken to Harborview Medical Center and treated for minor cuts and abrasions and released. Fire investigators have determined the blast was accidental and they are still trying to determine where the gas leak occurred.