An ordinary December night in West Park was shattered by a home explosion linked to a probable gas leak, state officials have confirmed. The blast, which occurred on Dec. 19 at 5206 Southwest 20th Street, decimated a home and scattered debris across the neighborhood, according to a report from the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services.
The incident, which was captured by surveillance cameras showing a fiery eruption shortly after midnight, miraculously left the family of four inside unscathed. Despite this, the explosion was strong enough to seriously damage adjacent properties and send two next-door neighbors to the hospital with less serious injuries, as reported by NBC Miami. Nearby cars and homes bore the marks of the blast as large chunks of concrete were thrown from the epicenter of the devastation, barely leaving any standing walls.
The state fire marshal's investigation pointed to a gas leak, with a damaged propane tank being hastily removed from the scene in the aftermath. A neighbor recollected smelling gas two days before the explosion, bringing into stark focus the dangerous line between the mundane and the catastrophic. Another neighbor mistook the scent for something less sinister, like a septic issue, as per the state report.
A gas line inspection revealed multiple areas of damage, leading the inspector to hypothesize gas having seeped into the home via a compromised area in the line. "Once inside the propane gas was picked up through the air handler return which then distributed and mixed the gases to all rooms within the structure via the air ducts," the inspector wrote, as stated on Sun Sentinel's post on X. Various household appliances like the refrigerator and A/C unit were named as likely ignition sources.
West Park home explosion likely caused by propane leak into home, report says https://t.co/r3qNWrJ2ke
— South Florida Sun Sentinel (@SunSentinel) March 6, 2024
Despite initial doubts about the presence of gas, as the homeowner claimed not to use it, investigative teams confirmed the property was indeed serviced by propane. The explosion was ultimately ruled accidental, the reports state, with the neighborhood now yearning to move beyond the event's harrowing memory and see the site cleared of its ruins and reminders.
