CLEVELAND — Firefighters from the Cleveland Division of Fire responded to a house explosion Tuesday afternoon on the city's East Side.
According to Cleveland police, a preliminary investigation indicates that "the resident tried to investigate a gas leak and there was an explosion." Authorities urge residents to contact the fire department if they smell gas.
You can watch the scene from AirTracker 5 in the player below:
It happened in the 3600 block of East 57th Street in the city's Slavic Village neighborhood near North Broadway.
According to Cleveland police, a 59-year-old female and a 67-year-old male were injured. Cleveland EMS said they were transported to a nearby hospital in serious condition.
Cleveland Fire Chief Angelo Calvillo called the damage to the structure "tremendous."
"Truly a blessing, they're lucky to be alive, these two individuals," Calvillo said. The two-and-a-half story wood-frame house was completely destroyed.
Calvillo said the male was walking around when crews arrived and it appears a neighbor rescued the woman.
You can watch the fire chief's update in the player below:
Crews from Dominion are on scene assisting the fire investigators.
Melvin Wilson, who lives next door to the house that was destroyed, told News 5 he heard a loud noise when it happened.
"I heard...a boom and something crashed. That's all I heard, and I jumped up. That's when my daughter came and said the house next door fell or blew up or something," Wilson said.
Wilson got his daughter and their pets out of the house—a house that was also damaged by the explosion.
"The whole roof was on the side of my house. It was just laying there. It caught fire," Wilson said. "I got insurance, I'll get it fixed. As long as everybody's safe, that's all that matters."
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