FLORIDA CITY, Fla. – A propane tank explosion at a commercial strip mall in Florida City sent 10 people to the hospital and caused a partial roof collapse at a bakery Saturday morning, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
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The blast occurred shortly before 9 a.m. at Palm Bakery, located at 941 West Palm Drive.
Authorities said When fire crews arrived, they found debris scattered across the parking lot, a small fire still burning and part of the building’s roof collapsed.
An MDFR battalion chief told Local 10’s Trent Kelly that the explosion originated inside the bakery, which was closed to the public at the time. Gas company crews had been working inside the building when the blast occurred.
MDFR officials said a total of 10 people were affected and more than 27 of the agency’s units responded to the scene.
They said eight individuals were transported to local hospitals by fire rescue and private ambulance, including two classified as trauma alerts who were airlifted to a trauma center.
Authorities also confirmed that two additional victims self-transported to area hospitals before emergency crews arrived. All were reported in stable condition. The extent of their injuries was not immediately disclosed.
Fire crews quickly shut off the gas to the building and used K-9s to comb through the collapsed roof area for potential victims. MDFR said no one else was found trapped beneath the rubble.
They said the explosion caused significant structural damage, and the building has since been condemned as unsafe to enter.
A Local 10 News crew was at the scene, where MDFR crews, Florida City police officers and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies were monitoring the area.
Erika Benitez, an MDFR spokesperson, provided an update on the explosion in this video:
She said the cause of the explosion is under investigation.
Editor’s note: MDFR initially reported that eight people were hospitalized following the explosion, but later clarified that a total of 10 individuals were involved.
