Four people were injured following a laundromat explosion in Ocala on Tuesday evening.
Ocala Fire Rescue said it responded at approximately at 6:19 p.m. to the Classic Laundromat located at 1423 NE 25th Avenue for a call about an explosion.
According to a spokesperson from Ocala Fire Rescue, only two of the four people injured were transported to the hospital. One was sent as a trauma alert, officials said, but was released from the hospital Tuesday night.
Once first responders arrived, they found a single-level commercial structure, which housed multiple shops with smoke and flames coming from the area of the laundromat, a spokesperson from Ocala Fire Rescue said.
"Medics assessed the patients and began administering care to those in need of transport," said Ocala Fire Rescue public information officer Ashley Lopez. "Firefighters made entry to control the fire impacting the rear of the structure, while rescue crews conducted search and rescue operations to ensure the building was clear of occupants."
Once the fire was extinguished inspectors assessed the building’s structural integrity, deeming the laundromat and seven adjacent shops inaccessible for regular operations, Ocala Fire Rescue said.
The fire department suspects the explosion was caused by natural gas used at the laundromat, but cannot be certain until the investigation is complete.
Latora Waters, who works at the laundromat, told WESH 2 News that the business used gas for its dryers, but all of them were in good working order earlier in the day and were only about a year old. She also said no one reported smelling gas before the explosion.
“Everything was just fine. My son and daughter went in there, they smelled nothing,” she said.
Waters said she is hoping the laundromat can reopen soon.
“I’m devastated, I really am,” Waters said. “This is my life basically. I spent more time here than I did at home.”
The explosion prompted a large response from several agencies which include: Ocala Fire Rescue, Marion County Fire Rescue, the Ocala Police Department, Ocala Electric Utility, the Building Inspector, and TECO Gas company.
An official said there are eight spaces for businesses in that area, but it was unclear which spots were operational and which spots were vacant. None of the businesses were open on Wednesday.