SEATTLE (KOMO) – Nine Seattle firefighters were injured in an apparent natural gas explosion that leveled at least three businesses in the Greenwood neighborhood early Wednesday morning.
The explosion happened in the area of the Greenwood Quick Stop Market at N. 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue N. just before 1:45 a.m.
Firefighters were sent to the building about 40 minutes earlier for a report of a natural gas leak. While they were investigating the source of the leak, the building exploded, according to Seattle Fire officials.
A photographer at the scene reports the explosion destroyed the Quick Stop Grocery, Neptune Coffee and Mr. Gyros, and heavily damaged the G & O Family Cyclery.
Seattle Fire officials say eight firefighters and a battalion chief were sent to Harborview Medical Center. A hospital spokesperson said all nine were in satisfactory condition being treated for cuts, bruises and burns and most expect to be released later Wednesday. No one else was injured.
The blast sent debris scattered across the neighborhood and was heard across the region as windows shattered in buildings as far as two blocks away from the scene.
Neighbors say it sounded like everything from an earthquake, to an incredibly loud thunderclap, to a bomb blast.
One man who lives just 150 feet away says the house shook him right out of bed, and knew something was wrong.
“Scared the (expletive) out of me this morning,” said Josh Coolbaugh. “Thought it was an earthquake, way too loud to be a gunshot. So I got out of bed, checked on the family, and my family’s good. So I went outside and saw smoke.”
He says he ran down to see what had happened, and immediately began calling business owners in the area he knows to wake them up and tell them they needed to get here.
The back of the Quickstop store. @SeattleFire going room to room at adjacent apartment building. #LiveOnKOMO pic.twitter.com/XTJ6AEEiNb
— Danthetruckguy (@danthetruckguy) March 9, 2016
More then 5 dozen firefighters were on the scene cleaning up the blast area as nearby business owners arrived on scene to take stock of the damage.
I’m sorry to hear it, and I hope all the injured firefighters have a full, and speedy recovery.