An explosion rocked a shopping mall in the city of Plantation, Florida earlier today injuring at least 21 people, according to the latest CNN report. The report indicated that authorities believe the explosion was caused by a gas leak.

Gordon Peters deputy Fire Chief of Plantation has indicated that among the injured was a child but that the injuries were not classified as serious.

Plantation is located west of Fort Lauderdale in the US state of Florida. </s> Miami:A powerful explosion from a suspected gas leak ripped through a shopping mall in Florida on Saturday, injuring up to 20 people, the fire department said.

Two of those were in serious condition after the blast in the town of Plantation in south Florida.

Photos on US news outlets showed a large field of debris strewn across the parking lot of the Fountains Plaza shopping center, with major damage in particular to an LA Fitness gym.

Between 15 and 20 people were injured, deputy fire chief Joel Gordon told reporters.

His department initially called it a gas explosion and Gordon said ruptured gas lines were found in the debris, but that the cause of the blast has not been confirmed.

No one has been reported missing. "As bad it was, it could have been a lot worse," Gordon said.

A major avenue running past the mall was shut down. Plantation is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Miami. </s> A powerful gas explosion caused multiple injuries Saturday at a shopping mall in Florida, firefighters said.

Photos on US outlets showed a large field of debris outside the shopping center in the town of Plantation in south Florida.

The Plantation Fire Department said it was a gas explosion, and it reported "multiple patients." A major avenue running past the mall was shut down. </s> (CNN) Jesse Walaschek says 15 to 20 seconds saved him and his family.

The 41-year-old, his wife and three kids -- ages 8, 6 and 4 -- had just left a fitness center at a shopping mall in the South Florida city of Plantation when a possible gas explosion Saturday shattered parts of the building, injuring at least 23 people, including two with serious injuries.

"We felt the loudest boom that you could possibly feel. I looked in my rear view mirror and it was just a dust cloud," Walaschek told CNN. "Had we walked out of that gym 15 seconds later, I would've been getting my kids in the car when it went off. I probably wouldn't be here, my kids wouldn't be here."

A search of the blast zone has been completed, police said. There were no fatalities and all the victims have been located, Plantation Fire Deputy Chief Joel Gordon told reporters during a Saturday afternoon press conference.

All the injured were taken to area hospitals, he said. Among the injured was a child, but the injuries were not classified as serious, Gordon said.

Read More </s> PLANTATION, Fla. — At least 21 people were injured, including two seriously, after an apparent gas explosion Saturday shattered parts of a shopping mall in the South Florida city of Plantation, authorities said.

Firefighters were carrying out a secondary search of the mall, looking for additional possibly victims, though they believe all had been located, Plantation Fire Deputy Chief Joel Gordon told reporters.

All the injured had been taken to area hospitals for treatment, he said. Among the injured was a child, but the injuries were no classified as serious, Gordon said.

“We’re relieved that considering the debris field and considering how we found the patients and where we found them, the injuries are not as severe as we would’ve thought they would be. So we’re very thankful for that,” Gordon said.

The Plantation Fire Department initially said a gas explosion had occurred, but later said they are still working to confirm the cause.

“We had ruptured gas lines. We did have an active gas leak when we arrived, (but) they were able to secure it,” Battalion Chief Joel Gordon said, referring to the Broward County’s hazardous materials team that initially secured the lines with TECO, a gas utility company.

“At this point, we have not actually confirmed that it was an explosion due to gas,” Gordon said. “We believe that. That’s what it appears to be.”

News footage and social media video showed firefighters arriving at the mall, where windows were blown out of an LA Fitness and the facade of a pizza restaurant appeared to be blown out. A section of the complex appeared to sustain significant damage, with shattered windows and scattered debris.

Gordon told CNN the access road to the mall was covered in debris when firefighters arrived. Gas lines in the mall had to be secured before first responders encountered the injured scattered throughout the complex.

“We also have patients that wandered away and came back again,” he said.

The state fire marshal, other local agencies and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the cause.

Gordon said there was an active gas leak at the scene when firefighters responded to the report of an explosion at about 11:30 a.m. ET.

The blast appeared to have occurred in a corner of the mall complex where two buildings intersect.

“There is a closed pizza place place right on the corner but we haven’t confirmed it originated there,” he said.

Jesse Walaschek, 41, had just left the mall with with his three children — ages 8, 6 and 4 — were just leaving the area when the explosion occurred.

Walaschek was driving away from the mall’s LA Fitness and pizza restaurant, the area where the explosion occurred, when he says , when he saw the saw the explosion in the rearview mirror.

“It was crazy to see the building leveled,” he told CNN.

Plantation police tweeted: “All stores and businesses in the area of the Fountains Plaza and the Plantation Marketplace plaza near LA Fitness will be shut down until further notice until Fire Personnel can determine that it is safe to return. Please do not come into this area if possible.”

Gordon said a reunification center opened at Plantation Central Park Gymnasium for family members looking for their relatives and for details about businesses affected.

It’s unclear if the mall was open at the time of the explosion. Gordon said the LA Fitness was occupied.

In one social media video posted after the blast, people are seen surveying the aftermath, which included damage to cars and water cascading from an upper floor of a building.

“The whole building blew up,” a man is heard saying in one video.

Residents several miles from the blast reported feeling their homes shake, the station reported. </s> More than 20 people were injured in an explosion at a shopping center in Plantation, Florida, on Saturday afternoon.

The Plantation Fire Department responded to a call of a possible gas explosion at or near the L.A. Fitness on South University Drive at 11:28 a.m., said Battalion Chief Joel Gordon.

Gordon said 21 people were injured, including two who were in serious condition. Officials found wounded people scattered throughout the area, including in the gym.

He added that he believed one child was among the injured but was not one of the two in serious condition.

"At this point, we believe we've accounted for everyone," Gordon said during a press conference Saturday afternoon, noting that officials were doing a secondary search of the collapsed structure next to the gym. "Thank goodness at this point nobody was killed. ... As bad as it is, it could have been a lot worse."

Gordon said responders found ruptured gas lines and an active gas leak when they arrived on scene but have not determined whether that was the cause of the explosion.

The exact origin of the explosion is still under investigation but several units in a strip mall next to the L.A. Fitness, including a closed pizza restaurant, were destroyed, officials said. </s> At least 23 people injured in an explosion at a shopping center in Plantation, Florida on Saturday, July 6, 2019. Early reports say a possible gas leak led to the explosion. </s> "Gas explosion 800 blk SUD multiple patients," the Plantation Fire volunteer group said on Twitter.

​Plantation Fire Battalion Chief Joel Gordon was cited as saying by the WPLG news channel that at least 20 people were injured, two of them seriously.

​Photos of the site showed a huge chunk of the shopping mall destroyed, with debris lying around in a wide radius.

The explosion shattered windows and damaged nearby buildings. Photos of the site showed a huge chunk of the shopping mall destroyed, with debris scattered around in a wide radius.

Police said they were working on what is believed to be a gas explosion. All stores and businesses in the area around the blast-ravaged Fountains Plaza were closed. </s> A gas explosion at a South Florida shopping plaza sent debris flying and injured several people, including two with serious injuries, fire officials said.

The explosion happened around 11:30 a.m. Saturday at a shopping center in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale in Broward County. The blast sent large pieces of debris about 100 yards across the street.

Plantation Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Joel Gordon told reporters between 15 to 20 people were injured, but so far there are no fatalities.

He added that crews found ruptured gas lines among the rubble when they arrived on scene but they can't confirm where the explosion started.

"As bad as it is, it could've been a lot worse," Gordon said.

Gordon said the initial call was for an explosion at or near an LA Fitness location at the shopping plaza.

Photos and videos shared on social media showed heavy damage to an LA Fitness location, with windows blown out and debris scattered throughout the parking lot.

A worker at a restaurant about 150 yards away described it like something "out of a movie."

Aerial video from the scene showed heavy damage to nearby buildings and businesses.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
23 people are injured in a gas explosion at a shopping mall in Plantation, Florida.