Gas leak suspected in Ecorse public bathroom explosion

ECORSE, Mich. (WJBK) - A gas leak led to a small explosion at a public bathroom in Ecorse Thursday.

The incident happened at a public park - and although nobody was hurt but there is plenty of finger-pointing going on.

"She called me this morning freaking out," said Kailee O'Neal, talking about her mom. "She said 'We've got to evacuate.'"

Frantic phone calls and police sirens in Ecorse after a bathroom exploded in the morning at Dingell Park at West Jefferson and Southfield.

"We walked down and could smell the gas," said Laurie Wilkie. "I was very scared I have never seen Jefferson blocked off before."

Hundreds of Ecorse neighbors evacuated along with nearby business and an elementary school.

"We had some debris that went out along Jefferson and along Southfield," said Ecorse Police Chief Mike Moore. "If somebody was inside the building they could've been injured."

All day Thursday DTE crews were out checking the sewers worried the leak was beginning to spread, possibly leaking into homes through floor drains.

Moore says although the explosion happened about  7 a.m. just hours earlier, responding to a gas leak, DTE Energy came out.

FOX 2: "DTE says they checked and there was no leak and they left."

"Evidently there was something amiss," Moore said. "And somebody has some explaining to do."

A DTE spokesperson said the original call is now under investigation along with the explosion. But adds that the cause is likely the main break at 7th and White streets.

"We found a three inch break just west of the location," Moore said.

Moore warns that if neighbors still smell gas to immediately report it,  to open windows and pour water down the floor drain. But right now, neighbors and police are just relieved no one was hurt.