DETROIT – One person was rescued and two others were taken to the hospital Tuesday morning after a building explosion on Detroit's east side.
Deputy Fire Chief Craig Dougherty said a natural gas leak caused the explosion at about 9 a.m. on the first floor of the Tecumseh Fleet Engineering on Grinnell Street near French Street. The business converts gasoline-fueled SMART buses to run on natural gas and propane.
Despite what the deputy chief said, a DTE Energy spokesman said the explosion was not caused by a natural gas leak. He said someone was working on a propane tank at the time of the explosion. The propane tank had a release come in contact with a space heater, which ultimately led to the explosion.
Tony Green was outside the building when it happened.
"That's when I saw the second explosion. It blew the bricks off the front of the building and blew a lady out the building," Green said. "One of the ladies, her hair, was singed. Burnt all up. Eyebrows. Second, third-degree degree burns. Skin hanging off her hands."
The woman is a 66-year-old employee at the company. She has worked there for 15 years. The explosion sent her into another room. She escaped through a wall which came down. She suffered flash burns to her hair, face and hands, but she is expected to be OK.
Another employee -- a 44-year-old man -- was working under one of the buses at the time. He suffered second and third degree burns to his face and arms. He was talking to firefighters and emergency personnel at the hospital and is expected to be OK. He has worked at the company for 18 years.
There was a brief scare when communication was lost with firefighters from Engine 46 inside the building, but they were able to get out safely.
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