Greenwood explosion

Firefighters sprayed the rubble with water for hours
but allowed the leaking gas to burn itself off
Photo by Lien Tisdale Titus 

Shoreline residents report being awakened by the explosion in Greenwood at 1:45am on Wednesday morning, some six miles south of Shoreline.

A leak allowed gas to build up in a structure in the heart of the Greenwood business district, until it exploded, shattering windows up and down the streets and turning the affected buildings into piles of wood shards.

Debris was hanging from trees, on the top of three story buildings, and covering the street. One apartment resident reported that he saw the explosion and then watched from his window as paper plates floated down from the sky.

Three businesses are completely gone. They were located one building south of the intersection of Greenwood and N 85th on the west side of Greenwood.

Nine Seattle firefighters, who were already on the scene, looking for the source of the gas leak, were treated at Harborview and released.

Three or four Shoreline residents own businesses in that neighborhood.