Lit cigarette triggers house explosion after bullet pierces gas pipe

DETROIT — A series of events led to a home explosion in Detroit that blew two doors into the street and sent several people to the hospital.

A house, with six people inside, exploded on Detroit’s west side the night of Jan. 4 according to WDIV-TV. All six victims were taken to an area hospital with second- or third-degree burns.

The explosion was strong enough to send two doors from the home into the street and shatter windows.

Neighbor Daniel Lyons told WDIV-TV that he heard the explosion from a block away:

Investigators determined that a someone had fired a weapon in the home and the bullet pierced a basement gas line. The leaking pipe eventually filled the basement with gas and when a woman in the home lit a cigarette an hour later, ignited the gasses.

A dog also survived the explosion and is expected to make a full recovery.