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West Side Detroit House Explodes; No One Hurt

DETROIT (WWJ) - Authorities say there were no injuries when an unoccupied rental home exploded early Friday morning on Detroit's west side.

Investigators with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were called to the scene of the now-destroyed bungalow on Evergreen Rd. and S. Warren Ave.

Neighbor Carrie Johnson said she heart the blast, at around 3 a.m., from a couple of blocks away.

"It was like a big boom, like up in the air when I came by...it was like the house went outwards, like collapsed outwards," she told WWJ's Mike Campbell. "It was crazy."

Glass and other debris from the house scattered in all directions, including across the street.

Next door, resident Beatrice Trammel said her home was pretty badly damaged.

"The doors won't close; it blew off the hinges. The window in the back blew out into the room and it's probably going through the whole bedroom," she said, adding that, fortunately, her kids weren't home and no one was hurt. She said damaged property can be replaced.

Investigators believe the blast was caused by a gas leak following the theft of a furnace in the home. No arrests have been made.

An investigation is ongoing.

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