DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Fire officials in Dearborn Heights have confirmed they are investigating a possible explosion Friday at a home near Edgewood and Powers Avenue.
Crews from the Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Taylor Fire Departments assisted on the scene.
Fire crews say the homeowners were at work at the time of the explosion. There were two dogs that were inside. Friday afternoon, homeowners told 7 Action News their animals made it out and were taken to the humane society.
"It was just a chill, lazy day on the couch until our whole entire house shook," said neighbor Savannah Gonzalez, who lives nearby.
Gonzalez and Kailee Martin say they jumped into action when they heard the explosion knowing there were two dogs inside.
"We actually thought a tree fell on our house. We ran out and seen the dogs that were in the house running away. We realized it was that house. It was smoking near the gas meter. So, I immediately called 911 because you could smell the gas," said Martin.
"I was on the front lawn yelling: 'Is anybody in the house? Is anybody in the house? Is anybody home?' Because I know there’s a couple people that live there and I just wanted to make sure nobody was there," Gonzalez added.
Fire crews were able to extinguish the flames within an hour. They worked with DTE to cut the gas lines to the home.
"I was just laying down. I heard tons of fire trucks and police, so I got up and went outside and the fire was all the way past the roof," neighbor Mya Oakley said. "It’s scary because this just doesn’t happen on a normal basis."
First responders believe the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak but were still working to confirm Friday afternoon.
"With an explosion like that, (it's) possibly gas leak. We don’t know what was inside the house, but there was heavy collapse when our crews got here and flames throughout," Dearborn Heights Fire Marshal Max Mitts said.
Chopper 7 was over the scene Friday afternoon and showed a home with multiple collapsed walls.
Fire crews say the home is a total loss. They will be in the area over the next fews days investigating the cause of the fire.
DTE released the following statement:
At DTE Energy, safety is our top priority – for our customers, employees and communities. We monitor our natural gas system 24/7 to ensure safe, reliable service. We quickly responded to an incident today in Dearborn Heights and disconnected natural gas service to the home, where no one was present or injured. An investigation at the scene indicates all DTE Gas equipment was in proper working condition.
Our team focuses on maintaining the safety and integrity of our system of underground natural gas pipes through a robust program of inspections, maintenance and upgrades. We urge all residents, in any situation, if you smell or suspect a gas leak to leave the area at once, call 911, then call DTE at 800-947-5000 (or your natural gas provider), to report the situation.
