Florida city rocked by powerful blast

Two buildings in strip mall leveled

In this story: Investigators to probe cause of blast Clerk escaped unscathed RELATED STORIES, SITES

WESTON, Florida (CNN) -- A powerful explosion leveled at least two buildings Friday night and blew out several windows in a one-and-a-half mile radius late Friday in a small city in southwest Broward County.

The explosion happened about 11:35 p.m. in Weston, a city of about 40,000 people located 40 miles northwest of Miami, on the Broward-Dade County line.

The cause of the explosion, which was felt within a four-mile radius, is still unknown, but fire officials on the scene reported an odor of gas, said Todd LeDuc, spokesman for Broward County Fire and Rescue.

Emergency dispatchers were flooded with calls and hazmat teams were still securing the area overnight.

Investigators to probe cause of blast

Once the area was secure, the Broward County technical team was expected to move in to try to determine the cause of the explosion.

The area was expected to be secure for inspection by early Saturday morning, LeDuc said.

The explosion happened in or near Chef Yozo, a sushi restaurant in a strip mall with about six stores. Chef Yozo, along with a Foodmart, located next door were both leveled by the explosion.

Clerk escaped unscathed

The four other structures in the strip mall suffered interior damage, though the extent of the damage could not be assessed overnight, LeDuc said.

A clerk was inside the Foodmart when the explosion occurred, but escaped injury said Veda Coleman-Wright, of the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

One firefighter was injured when debris struck him on the head. He was hospitalized, but was in good condition, LeDuc said.

Broward County

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