NewsLeak

According to a report from KING 5 News and The Associated Press, a natural gas leak is the cause of a recent explosion and fire that sent two people to the hospital.

The report relays that the explosion occurred around 6 a.m. on Monday, September 26, and sent debris flying across an entire block. The explosion was so powerful that the windows of several nearby homes were shattered.

"It felt like maybe it was an earthquake or something," one local residents told the news sources.

Another citizen, who lives 20 blocks away from the home, told the sources that the blast shook his entire building.

One neighbor of the affected home claimed he smelled gas after going to help the injured couple. Both residents are in their 50s and were severely injured in the explosion. They were both taken to the Harborview Medical Center. According to reports, one member has been upgraded to satisfactory condition.

Members of the Seattle Fire Department have since confirmed that a natural gas leak had taken place inside the home and the explosion was ignited when someone flipped on an electrical switch.  

According to reports, a child development center in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, was recently evacuated after a gas leak occurred.

The leak was first detected on the afternoon of Monday, September 26 when the director of the child development center smelled gas. He then pulled the fire alarm and had the building evacuated in an organized fashion.

All of the building's personnel and children were safely evacuated to the local School Age Services building, and parents were notified, a representative of the center told reporters.

The town's fire department responded to the scene soon after and discovered a leak in the furnace. The fire department then informed the local utility company about the leak. Both crews remained on scene until they cleared the facility for re-entry later that day.

In all, the center has close to 175 personnel and children.

"All personnel are safe and secure," the representative relayed to reporters.

The center is one of many learning institutions to experience a gas leak this month, all of which have forced evacuations and have been dealt with properly. 

The lobby of the Santa Cruz County Main Jail was temporarily shut down as officials attempted to locate a leak, which affected the building's floor.

According to witnesses, tiles on the lobby's floor began popping out of place, the result of either a gas or water leak. Local firefighters and county officials were called to the scene to investigate and conduct potential repairs.

The leak began on Wednesday, September 21, and the lobby remained closed for the rest of the day.

After officials responded to the call, the lobby was evacuated, and the jail delayed processing of new inmates for several hours, the sheriff's deputy relayed to reporters.

Some representatives believed the tiles were moving as the building was settling. However, county officials have not yet determined the true cause of the commotion. To repair some areas of the lobby floor, a crew screwed in plywood.

The deputy relayed that jail officials have an emergency plan in place to evacuate inmates if matters worsen. 

According to reports, a natural gas leak occurred in Allentown, Pennsylvania, recently, which forced several residents from their homes.

The leak was detected on the morning of Wednesday, September 21, when UGI officials relay a service curb valve on a gas line failed. UGI crew members also explained the affected line was a low pressure gas line, located in the 400 block of East Court Street in Allentown.

In all, 20 homes and 30 people were evacuated. In some instances, firefighters forced their way into homes when residents did not respond to their knocks.

Within an hour of the leak occurring, crews had successfully capped it and began working on repairs. After the leak was stopped, residents in all but three of the evacuated homes were allowed to return to their property, roughly 70 minutes after they were forced out. Some firefighters remained after the incident to ensure safety.

Local traffic was slightly affected by the incident, as all eastbound lanes and one westbound lane of Hanover Avenue were closed during the repairs.