Deerfield Beach, Fla.- The explosion that leveled part of a Deerfield Beach apartment building last week was caused by a propane gas leak and has been ruled accidental, the State Fire Marshals said this afternoon.
Investigators traced the gas leak to a stove in a vacant apartment, officials said.
They estimated the damage to the apartment building at 1325 SE Eight Ave. to be about $3 million.
At least 10 people were injured in the pre-dawn blast that happened Thursday, while scores of residents were displaced and saw many of their belongings damaged.
The company that owns the building initially placed the residents in hotels but over the weekend moved them to other apartment complexes in the county. The displaced residents were given the opportunity to pay their normal rent rate for October but must decide whether they want to pay the market rent rate for their new apartments in November or find some place else to live.