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It roused Jena Moughler, 35, who lives on nearby Glenwood, from a sound sleep.
“It sounded like a bomb went off,” Moughler said.
People who heard and felt the explosion near the store and in neighboring suburbs said they thought it was a bomb, a car crashing into a building, a roof caving in and, in one case, an airplane exploding. Metro Airport is a few miles from Wayne.
Irene Yaklin was working the cash register at the Marathon gas station at Glenwood and Wayne Road when the explosion hit, causing signs to fall from the drop ceiling.
“I saw the fireball,” she said. “The whole building shook.”
The explosion was so powerful, Community Development Department Administrative Assistant Kim Cochran said, “I just thought the roof of City Hall was caving in. Dust was filtering down into my eyes.” City offices are just south of the store.
The office of colorectal surgeon Dr. Ganesh Deshmukh, which is across the street and slightly south of the furniture store, was open at the time of the explosion.
“It shook the whole building,” said Lori Julvezan, an employee at the office. “We thought a car had hit the building.”
She described smoke coming from the back of the building, which houses other businesses, and said the front had collapsed.
Julvezan said the office is still open, while businesses directly across the street, including Northside Hardware, were being evacuated, according to an employee who answered the phone at the store.
Neighbors evacuated
Through the course of the day, Consumers Energy discovered two leaks, one at 11:15 a.m. and another at 2:48 p.m., and shut off gas to the neighborhood.
Residents left their homes, some in pajamas, and businesses were evacuated. While some people braved the chill to watch the rescue, others took advantage of warming centers set up by the city nearby.
While several people staying at the Wayne Community Center were preparing to head home, Gary Budd, 48, who lives on Chestnut Street, which borders the store, said he received notice around 2:30 p.m. to evacuate. He wrapped his two dogs and a cat to take to a friend’s house while he stayed at the community center.