Huge explosion, fire destroy businesses in North Bend

An explosion and fire has destroyed or damaged several businesses in North Bend.

“We have a debris field that covers a good square block of downtown North Bend. We have four businesses that are involved. Three of them have almost complete destruction,” said Eastside Fire and Rescue spokesman Ben Lane.

There were multiple calls after the blast rocked the 500 block of E North Bend Way around 3:40 a.m.

KING 5 reports the explosion may have been caused by a natural gas leak at a pizza restaurant, reportedly under renovation, that was near or attached to a strip mall.

The pizza restaurant had been closed for at least a couple of years, but there were plans for it to reopen as a new restaurant.

The fire reportedly burned a barber shop and damage is visible at a gas station, tire store, and grocery store.

Residents at a nearby assisted living facility located a block away reported hearing a loud boom. Reports say the blast blew out a window at the Red Oak Residence where two residents experienced minor injuries.

An employee at a gas station said things were falling down around her as she ran outside.

North Bend Elementary is located behind the rubble. The school was not damaged and is safe for students to attend classes, which were in session on Friday. More information about bus routes can be found on the district’s website.

“We are very blessed that this occurred early in the morning rather than later in the day so that there was no loss of life,” said Londi Lindell, City Administrator for the City of North Bend.

Puget Sound Power reported over 1,000 outages immediately following the explosion.

There are detours for vehicle traffic between E North Bend Way from the 500 block to Park Street.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.