Oct. 17 (UPI) -- An explosion Saturday morning at a commercial strip in downtown Harrisonburg, Va., injured three people and destroyed multiple businesses, local officials said.
Around 8:30 a.m., the building caught fire, sending large plumes of smoke into the air. Viewers told local television stations that they felt the explosion several miles away.
Two people with serious injuries were airlifted to a hospital and one was treated locally, WHSV-TV reported.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said in a tweet that he deployed state emergency personnel for additional support to local firefighters to the scene, which he referred to as a gas explosion.
Employees at a nearby vape shop and music store were not injured, the businesses said.
The cause of the explosion was not confirmed by Harrisonburg Fire Chief Matthew Tobia, who said Saturday morning that fire crews would likely be on the scene for several days.
