An investigation was underway into the cause of an explosion and large fire at a shopping center in Harrisonburg, Va. that injured at least five people on Saturday morning
Three people were taken to hospital after the incident which was reported at around 8:30 am, and two others were treated at the scene for minor injuries, the city said in a statement on Saturday night
The mall contained a vaping store, musical instrument store and recording studio, according to the Daily News-Record It was a « total loss, » city spokesman said , Michael Parks Damage has also been reported to other structures
Although Gov. Ralph Northam tweeted that state emergency personnel had been deployed to the area after what he called a gas explosion, Harrisonburg Fire Chief Matt Tobia said, to reporters that the cause was under investigation
Parks, who said the investigation would likely take several days, said there was no indication of a crime
Harrisonburg, in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, is a city of about 50,000 that is home to James Madison University
The university said in a Facebook post that three students from the school’s Army ROTC program who had competed in a 10-mile run were among the injured The building where the explosion occurred was about 30 meters (27 meters) from the start and finish line of the race, the school said.
One of the students was hospitalized but needed to be released quickly, JMU said Two other students were treated at the scene and released, according to the post
The university said the two other injured people were not affiliated with the JMU City update, posted on Twitter around 5:30 p.m., said they were airlifted to the city’s medical center. University of Virginia in serious condition and were « now stable »
Parks said it was not immediately clear whether these victims were affiliated with any of the centre’s businesses
« It woke me up personally and I mean, I immediately knew it was something wrong, » Katie Landes told the station « So I looked right in front of the window that was right next to me and saw that there was a start of serious smoke »
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Harrisonburg, Explosion, Virginia, James Madison University
World News – UA – At least 5 injured in explosion, fire at Virginia Strip Mall
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
