A building on Lincoln Drive was evacuated Saturday after police found evidence of an eruption.
At 10:22 a.m. Saturday, a neighbor called and reported several doors as well as portions of the wall being open at 200 Lincoln Drive.
The Columbia Police Department originally responded to the call. When police arrived at the residence, they found evidence of an eruption that included charring around the front door and walls that were pushed outward.
The scene was upgraded to a residential fire structure at 10:42 a.m., and the Columbia Fire Department was called. The fire department reported no fire or smoke coming from the house, according to a Columbia Fire Department news release. The building was evacuated due to the appearance of an explosion. The homeowners were away at the time, and no one was injured in the incident.
The total damage to the residence is estimated at $50,000, Assistant Fire Marshal Lt. Lisa Todd said in a news release. The interior of the house, including furniture and appliances, were found intact. The walls and doors of the building took the brunt of the explosion.
Gas was shut off to the address as crews ran tests for air quality, looking for gas in the air. Ameren UE was brought to the residence as well. At this point gas was shut off to the whole building as crews conducted air checks at the site of the explosion. Both the fire department crews and Ameren UE crews came back without any anomalies.
The crews checked the rest of the units for gas contamination and found the same results. The occupants were then allowed to return to their homes, and gas was turned on for all of the units except the address of the explosion.
The cause of the explosion is still unknown, and there is an ongoing investigation, Battalion Chief Brad Fraizer said. There were several total release foggers, or bug bombs, found in the house. These are being taken into account but have not been determined to be the cause of the explosion.
This type of investigation is not uncommon for the fire department.
“It can take up to a week to conclude an investigation,” Fraizer said.
The department wants to avoid being rash and coming to false conclusions, Fraizer said.
The homeowners had not moved back into the residence as of Monday evening.
The fire department will release an official statement with the cause of the explosion once the investigation has concluded.