Car alarms blazed, glass shattered and debris hung from trees after an explosion leveled a home in Harper Woods on Friday, leaving three people injured and rattling homes at least a mile away.
Police said the blast happened shortly after 10:30 a.m. at 20839 Lennon after the two mostly seriously injured victims were about to enter the home — said to be empty for over a year — to do an appraisal for an impending sale.
The blast threw both victims back onto the lawn, leaving the woman, 33, bleeding from a gash on the head and the man, 66, sprawled on the debris from the explosion. Both were in critical condition at St. John Hospital Friday evening.
Late in the day police disclosed that the next-door neighbor to the home, a 36-year-old man, was also injured, left on foot seeking help, and was treated at a hospital for his injuries and released.
Police theorized that the blast was caused by natural gas, but the utility, DTE Energy, said they were investigating but refused to speculate on the cause.
In a dramatic video shot by neighbor Darnell Evans, Evans rushes to the scene moments after the burst. The video shows the woman with her shoes blown off, bricks scattered on the street and the man appeared to be laying on his side with a head injury.
Eliza Hardy, who lives directly across the street, was jolted.
"I felt this shake, saw the house collapsed,” she said. “Two of my windows blew out.”
Hardy said she was concerned for her neighbor's children, who live right next door to the home.
"I am just thankful those kids were at school," she said.
Dozens of homes and businesses experienced the same from the blast: a big boom and broken glass.
Tamila Davis, who also lives four blocks away, said her whole house was shaking. "It sounded like a big old boom and I jumped to my feet," she said.
The explosion could even be heard and felt miles away.
Ellen Creager, a former reporter for the Free Press who lives in Grosse Pointe Woods about a mile from the scene, said in an email, "We felt a huge jolt, heard a huge cracking boom, and our house actually shook at about 10:31 a.m. We thought it was an earthquake or another meteorite hitting Michigan."
"I bet people felt it for a few miles in every direction," she said.
All homes and business within a half mile of the home were evacuated as a precaution, police said, but most were later cleared for occupants to return.
Red Cross was on scene and provided aid to displaced residents.
DTE Energy told the Free Press that the house is in their service area. A utility spokesperson said they didn't yet know what had caused the explosion but that a team had been dispatched.
Later on Twitter, DTE Energy wrote: "Our heartfelt concern goes out to those who were injured today at the Harper Woods home. We are supporting the investigation into the incident and until the investigation is complete we will not speculate on the cause."
The house is listed on Zillow, the popular realty website, as being up for sale for $108,900. The house's Realtor was not immediately available for comment.
Chief of Police Jim Burke said the incident remains under investigation. Police were still at the scene as of 4 p.m. Friday.
Harper Woods is known as quiet, with an older population. Evans said this event is unlikely to fade from residents’ memories.
“I have never been to war,” he said. “But it felt like we were at war.”
Lexi Cook, 21, lives two blocks down the road. She said, "I was at home when it happened and it literally felt like someone was trying to bulldoze my house."