DETROIT (WWJ) -- An investigation is underway into what caused an explosion that completely leveled a home on Detroit's northwest side.
It happened just after 3:30 p.m. Monday, on the corner of Sussex and Florence Street, in the area of Greenfield and Puritan.
Pieces of the house were blown across the road in the blast, and into nearby homes.
"The debris extends over both streets: bricks, siding, wood, drywall," WWJ's Jon Hewett reported from the scene. "The home literally blew up completely. In fact, neighboring homes (were) also significantly damaged from this explosion."
Deputy Detroit Fire Chief Darrell Freeman said a total of eight homes were damaged, but only one person suffered a minor injury.
There was no one inside the house when it happened.
"God is good and I do believe in him," Freeman said. "This could have been been worse."
Neighbor Khalil Taylor said he was outside cutting the grass when he heard it.
"Something blew up! I thought it was like a car accident, or something like that, or a truck hitting a bump or something," Taylor said. "...It was like 'boom!' and I was like, 'What was that?'"
The homeowner declined an interview with WWJ, but did tell Hewett she believes the only reason she's alive is because she had an appointment to go somewhere just minutes before the house blew up.
Detroit firefighters as well as a DTE Energy crew were active on the scene, although it's not yet clear whether there could have been a gas leak.
Freeman said it's too soon to guess as to what caused the explosion, as the investigation is getting underway.
DTE said, in a statement: "At DTE Energy, safety is our top priority – for our customers, employees and communities. Our teams have been called out to an incident in Detroit to help make the scene safe while local authorities investigate."
The house itself is clearly a total loss.
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