EUSTIS, Fla. – Surveillance video from a nearby business showed the moment an explosion happened Thursday at a Eustis jewelry store, sending one woman to the hospital.
The explosion happened at Darklyn Inc, a shop specializing in jewelry, rocks and gemstones.
The surveillance video showed the windows break out before a fireball erupted toward the sky.
Eustis Fire Chief Michael Swanson said the building was occupied by a “longtime business owner” and that the building was a “total loss.”
“We really don’t know what actually caused this incident, other than we did have an active gas leak in front of the building. It was not inside the building,” he said during a news conference.
Swanson said the gas leak was discovered during utility work and that buildings immediately around the gas leak were evacuated. The gas company had crimped the gas line once the leak was discovered.
However, Swanson said the business where the explosion happened did not have gas service to it. Officals said the fire happened after the gas leak.
“What we do know is that everything in the building is electric and that we’re not finding any gas shutoffs remains on the building. So the fact that the building may have had the incident occurred due to the gas leak would be a challenge for us to find out how that occurred,” Swanson said.
The woman who was taken to the hospital had “pretty bad” injuries, according to Swanson.
The blast’s impact rattled neighboring businesses.
“The two ladies in the office right here said the explosion was so loud it about knocked them out of their chairs at their desk!” said Billy Gore, who lives adjacent to the jewelry store.
The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
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