The Plantation shopping center where an apparent gas explosion injured multiple people this weekend is expected to be demolished, according to the city’s fire chief.
Edens affiliate Locus Gardens LLC acquired the shopping center at 1041 South University Drive in August 2007 for $24 million, property records show. It consists of multiple buildings. The explosion on Saturday injured nearly two dozen people, one of whom remained in the hospital on Tuesday, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Plantation Fire Department Deputy Chief Joel Gordon said the building is structurally unsound and is expected to be demolished, according to WPLG. The investigation into what caused the explosion will likely take days to complete, but a gas leak at the vacant PizzaFire space is believed to have caused the blast.
Tenants of the Market on University shopping center include LA Fitness, which has 45,000 square feet; Publix with nearly 54,000 square feet in a separate building; and a 7,160-square-foot Carrabba’s Italian Grill, according to Edens’ website.
Davie residents reportedly felt the impact several miles from the explosion. An LA Fitness employee told the Miami Herald that ceilings at the gym started collapsing and windows were shattered after a loud bang at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning. [WSVN] – Katherine Kallergis