California

Mojave Desert residents, punched by two major quakes, begin the cleanup.

PLANTATION, Fla. — A vacant pizza restaurant exploded Saturday in a thundering roar at a Florida shopping plaza, injuring at least 21 people as large chunks of concrete flew through the air.

The blast flung debris widely along a busy road in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant was destroyed, and nearby businesses and cars were damaged. Though firefighters found ruptured gas lines afterward, authorities said it was too early to determine a cause.

“We thought it was thunder at first, and then we felt the building shake and things started falling. I looked outside and it was almost like the world was ending,” said Alex Carver, a worker at a deli across the street from the explosion.

The explosion scattered large pieces of concrete as far as 50 yards away and sent pieces of metal as far as 100 yards across the street. Carver said two of his coworkers’ cars were destroyed.

At least 21 people were injured, though none of the injuries was lifethreatening, Police Sgt. Jesica Ryan said.

The explosion demolished the building, leaving behind only part of its metal frame. The restaurant, called PizzaFire, had been out of business for several months. The blast also blew out the windows of a fitness club next door at the shopping plaza in Broward County.

Jesse Walaschek had just left the club with his wife and three children, ages 4, 6 and 8. They were parked near the restaurant and had driven about 50 yards away when they heard the blast. “It was a massive explosion like I have never experienced,” he said.

Dozens of firefighters responded and could be seen picking through the rubble with dogs sniffing the debris to make sure people weren’t trapped underneath. There were no known fatalities immediately after the explosion.

Fire department Battalion Chief Joel Gordon said there were ruptured gas lines when firefighters arrived, but he couldn’t say for certain that it was a gas explosion.

Terry Spencer is an Associated Press writer.