Garden City, MI- The three occupants of a home in the 6800 block of Gilman got out safely following an explosion.
Garden City firefighters arrived at the home within four minutes of being called and found that an explosion had occurred, according to interim Garden City Fire Chief Catherine Harman.
The cause appears to be due to a natural gas
explosion with the installation of a gas stove,
Harman said. A gas line shutoff was either missed or not existent, but the installer reported shutting off all shutoffs he could locate as a safety measure.
When the cap to the stove supply line was removed, the odor emitted was thought to be residual gas in the line, she said.
Shortly after a cap from the rear of the stove fell off and there was arcing, Harman said. A gas dryer had been successfully installed by the same installer either that day, or the day before.
Of the occupants, two were transported to the
hospital for evaluation and the third resident was fine, Harmon said.
Unfortunately, we were unable to locate the cat who was later found deceased, she added. The family is devastated over the loss of their beloved pet cat.
The kitchen was completely destroyed and fire
damage extended to the family room addition and
the hallway. Smoke and heat damaged the entire
home.
This was the family’s first home and several family members who arrived at the fire scene expressed how hard the couple had worked to get their first home.
They were excited and looking forward to the
reward of being homeowners, Harman said.
Assisting the Garden City Fire Department were
firefighters from Inkster and Westland through the Automatic Aid Agreement, Harman said.