By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-31 17:17:10 | Updated at 2025-04-02 06:22:24
1 day ago
About a dozen people were injured — including six kids — when a sudden explosion tore through an apartment building in Detroit on Monday, sending terrified residents scrambling out their windows to safety.
The blast badly damaged the two-story, 12-unit building around 4 a.m., raining bricks and glass on the streets below and leaving some residents with severe burns. Three of those injured were left in critical condition with burns. They all lived in the same apartment, officials told CBS News.
The blaze caused by the explosion was so severe that some of the residents were at their apartment windows “ready to jump” when firefighters arrived, Fire Commissioner Chuck Sims told reporters.
About 60 first responders including Detroit Police and Detroit Fire crews rushed to the scene near the intersection of Littlefield Street and Schoolcraft Road.
“They did an amazing job. Without their fast response and fast-thinking, this could have been a lot worse,” Sims said.
Ashley Ridner said she lived in one of the apartments with her boyfriend and the couple’s 5-year-old son and that the family climbed out their window when their front and back doors became blocked after the explosion.
“It sounded like a bomb,” she told WDIV-TV, adding that her boyfriend had been complaining about a gas smell when they went to sleep that night.
Ridner injured her feet climbing out of the window, and her boyfriend hurt his arm while helping their young son to safety.
“It was hard to get out, but we got out,” she said.
The fire was quickly extinguished, but the building is being demolished to help investigators determine the cause of the blast.
