A woman was seriously hurt Friday morning in an apparent natural gas explosion at an apartment building in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of D.C., fire officials say.
Firefighters evacuated the four-story apartment building at 1433 Columbia Road Northwest and shut off the gas after finding the woman in serious condition, D.C. Fire and EMS said.
Neighbors said the woman came out of the building with burns on her arms and face and her clothes were singed. Medics took her to a hospital.
"She was just saying, 'Oh my goodness! The stove exploded in my face,'" resident Angel Requeno told News4. "She's lucky to be alive."
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. >Sign up here.
There were no other injuries, according to fire officials.
The explosion in the woman's kitchen blasted through her third-floor window, sending an air conditioning unit, shards of glass, blankets and other items on the ground below. Some residents said it sounded like a bomb went off.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Requeno was a floor below when he said he heard the explosion. He grabbed his fire extinguisher and his phone and ran upstairs, he said. He jumped over hot, melted debris directly into the path of a blast he believed came from the kitchen to take the action to prevent a possible second explosion — turning off the burners.
"See how the apartment looked? That's like a horror movie," Requeno said while showing News4 video he captured on his phone.
Firefighters saw damage on the floor at the apartment, and a hazmat team was testing for any remaining gas in the building, the fire department said. Fire officials later said the explosion was accidental.
There was no evidence of a fire after the explosion, fire officials said.
The D.C. Department of Buildings closed the 35-unit property. The Red Cross is helping the 110 residents with food, water and shelter.
It's unclear at the moment how significantly the building was damaged. The fire department said a collapse task force was evaluating the building.
Metro buses were parked nearby on 15th Street so residents could have somewhere air conditioned to wait while the fire department worked in the building.
The Department of Buildings said residents won't be able to return until the building’s owner hires a licensed plumber to inspect the integrity of the interior gas lines.
Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.
