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CLEVELAND - Firefighters in Cleveland were on the scene of a house explosion that leveled four homes and has injured 11 people, including five children.
The explosion happened around 8 a.m. Wednesday near Federal Drive and E. 177th, a few blocks from Kerruish Park near Maple Heights. This is near the Interstate 480 and Interstate 271 interchange.
WEB EXTRA: Click on the video player to watch viewer video of the fire scene from Michael Brooks moments after the explosion.
Firefighters said the blast originated from one house and caught two others on fire. A total of 38 other homes were also damaged.
Larry Gray, the public information officer for the Cleveland Fire Department, said crews attacked the fire quickly – and the biggest problem came from debris of the explosion. He said neighbors told investigators the house that exploded was unoccupied.
MetroHealth Medical Center said 11 people were taken there from the scene -- six adults and five children. They have all been treated and released.
A neighbor who went to the hospital told NewsChannel5 a family of three adults and five kids lived in the house directly next to the house that exploded. She went inside to help get everyone out to safety.
Our crew at the scene reported seeing a giant plume of smoke about 15 minutes after the blast happened. A huge crowd of people gathered in the area after hearing and feeling the blast.
Police yelled at people to get back and leave the area because of a gas leak.
Neil Durbin with Dominion East Ohio said gas crews were on the scene canvassing the area for gas leaks and they have shut off gas to 17 homes to keep the area safe.
William Poe only has a few scratches on his leg, after the home next door exploded. He thought it was a plane crash.
“I didn’t see anything. When I woke up, something hit me, fell on top of me. I didn’t hear the boom,” he said. Poe, his wife and their five kids were all sleeping. His nephew was in the basement.
Lovelle Poe said he crawled out through a tiny crack in the rubble. His only goal was to get his cousins out safely.
“I had to carry them, pick them up. One sock on, one sock off. Whatever. Just got to go,” Lovelle Poe said. All eight were able to make it out of the burning house.
A NewsChannel5 viewer in Warrensville near the North Randall Mall reported hearing a loud explosion and said the building he was in shook extensively. Some people said they heard the blast as far away as Bedford, Macedonia, Solon and Aurora.
An elementary school nearby was not in session on Wednesday.
The American Red Cross opened a reception center for displaced residents at Emile Desauze School. Staff members and volunteers were on hand to meet with those affected by the explosion.
About 100 people were forced from their homes after the incident, but they have since been allowed to go back. Dominion said that a housing inspector will be going to each home prior to the gas being turned on. The gas company also said it received no complaints about a gas odor prior to the blast.
Investigators were still on the scene of the explosion Wednesday night. A cause has not yet been determined.
If you have photos or video of the fire, please e-mail it to: 5pix@newsnet5.com
WEB EXTRA: Click on the play button below to hear 911 calls that came in just after the explosion happened:
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Here are some viewer reports we've received via e-mail. Send yours via the e-mail address above or post them in the comment box below (be sure to include where you were at the time of the place):
"Wow, I heard and slightly felt this a few minutes before 8 this morning as I was getting into my car to leave for work. I live in Eastlake. Can't believe that I felt it that far away." -- Cindy S., Eastlake, OH
"I live in Bainbridge Township; I felt the ground shake at the time of the explosion. I thought it was an earth quake. Oh my." -- Joyce, Bainbridge Township
"I work from home on my computer and at the same time of that explosion, here in Mayfield Heights, my house shook and it sounded like something landed on my home. And, I thought something happened to my furnace. I debated whether or not to call the utilities company or get out of my home and call the fire department. I thought it was an earthquake. Thank you for alerting me. Thank God it did not do more damage and thank God no one seriously injured. Wow !!" -- Teresangela, Mayfield Heights
"The explosion shook our building. Several people here were outside and saw the actual blast." -- Haans Petruschke, 1/4 mile away on South Miles Pkwy
"We felt the explosion in the Village of Chagrin Falls. House Vibrated
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