A reported home explosion in Mount Dora on New Year's Eve led to one person being airlifted to the hospital, according to officials. The Lake County Fire Department, Mount Dora Fire Department, and EMS responded to the incident that occurred last night on West Main Street. The cause of the explosion is currently under investigation, with no additional information released regarding the extent of the injuries sustained by the victim.
Resident Cheryl Tavana recalled the event, "I was sitting over there smoking, and I heard a big noise. I seen stuff coming out of the sky, my neighbor and I walked over, and seen that mess over there," as reported by ClickOrlando. Neighbors, including Jeremy Jenkins, who lives next door, reacted swiftly to the emergency. "To see him buried underneath concrete blocks and rubble, he was completely covered with the concrete blocks. It took a couple guys a good 5-10 minutes just to dig him out from underneath the blocks," Jenkins described in a statement.
Immediately after the explosion, Jenkins was moved to document the sudden scene of devastation. "I came out the door and saw the house collapsed. I was scared," he said in an interview, as per FOX 35 Orlando interview. His footage showed the injured man being pulled to safety and staggering toward paramedics before being flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center.
As the investigation into the explosion continues, updates are expected to shed more light on the unfortunate event. Both the affected man’s condition and the cause of the explosion remain critical pieces of information yet to be disclosed by the authorities.
