Explosion, fire, engulf home in North Seattle

A man and a women in their 50s are at Harborview Medical Center after a natural gas explosion, followed by a house fire, in North Seattle early Monday morning.

The woman was in serious condition in the intensive care unit and the man was in satisfactory condition.

The couple thought they smelled gas Sunday night but weren’t sure so they didn’t report it, said Kyle Moore, with the Seattle Fire Department.

“When they woke up this morning and smelled something, they were turning on things and ‘boom!’ _ the explosion,” Moore said.

The gas fumes apparently were sparked by an appliance, he said.

Neighbors reported hearing the explosion as far as four miles from the home around 6:00 a.m. It broke windows in nearby homes and debris fell a block away.

Fire crews had put out most of the flames by 7 a.m. but the home at 5th Ave NE and NE 123rd St appears to be a total loss. At least two dozen neighboring homes were evacuated. Metro buses were brought in to shelter residents from the rain and a neighborhood church was used as a shelter.

There had been a natural gas leak Sunday about five blocks away, Moore said.

Puget Sound Energy is investigating to see if they are related, spokeswoman Terri-Ann Betancourt said.

“In working with the Seattle Fire Department following this morning’s house explosion, our natural gas technicians this afternoon are in the neighborhood going door-to-door with detection equipment to ensure there is no leaking natural gas in the area,” according to Puget Sound Energy.

PSE says if you think you smell gas, do not do anything that may create a spark and leave the area immediately.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.