EUSTIS, Fla. – The woman who was critically injured and airlifted to a hospital after a fire and an explosion at a Eustis jewelry store last week has died, according to the woman’s friend.
Mia Tompkins said her friend, Wendy Davis, died from her injuries suffered in the explosion at Darklyn Inc. on Thursday. Davis is the owner of the store, News 6 learned on Monday.
[VIDEO: Eustis jewelry store explosion]
Eustis Fire Chief Michael Swanson said the building was occupied by a “longtime business owner,” who does jewelry, rocks and gemstones. He described the building as 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. He said the gas company had crimped the gas line once the leak was discovered.
[VIDEO: Investigators continue looking into cause behind Eustis gas leak explosion]
However, Swanson said the business where the explosion happened did not have gas service to it.
Witnesses described debris — including glass and metal — falling all over the block. Gene Ryals, a contractor with more than 20 years of experience working with gas lines, said the explosion underscored the hazard posed by underground utilities. “It kind of wakes you up a little bit, to know what you are dealing with. There are gas lines beneath us right now; if there is an explosion, we’re done,” Ryals said.
Florida’s State Fire Marshal’s Office has taken the lead on the investigation into the cause of the explosion.
Meanwhile, TECO Energy provided the following statement to News 6:
“Peoples Gas worked closely with the local Fire Department to respond to a damaged natural gas pipeline at an excavation site in Eustis on Dec. 4. The pipeline was damaged by an excavator installing conduit for another utility with no connection to Peoples Gas.
As crews and representatives from the fire department were working in the area to make it safe, an explosion occurred at a nearby business.
At this time, the cause of the explosion is unknown. The incident is under investigation and we are cooperating with local fire department officials, who are leading the effort.
We are unable to provide further details on this developing situation at this time.
Our thoughts are with those affected."