An explosion rocked a D.C. apartment building leaving residents with the jolt of their lives.
The explosion on 33rd street in Southeast D.C. shook up the building shortly after 3 p.m. Monday. "It was a big boom and the floor kinda like, puffed up," said neighbor David Green.
According to fire officials a man living in a second floor unit placed a number of insect fumigative devices inside his cabinets, set them off, then went to sleep. Authorities say one of the devices was placed too close to the gas stove's pilot light, which caused an explosion that rocked the building.
"Amazingly everything inside the apartment is ok," D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter. "Of course this woke [the man in the apartment] up and he miraculously sustained no injuries at all."
Fire officials say the man trying to fumigate his apartment shouldn't have used so many canisters and should have called in professionals to do the job because authorities say this explosion could have been deadly.
"It knocked the blinds loose and I thank God because it's thanks to God that we're still living," said Green.
According to the directions on the fumigative canister, the tenant broke a couple of the cardinal rules. The can says to not put it in small spaces like a cabinet and before using, to turn off the pilot light in your gas stove.
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