Explosion injures 2, destroys pizza shop

Two people were hospitalized following an explosion and fire in an East Rochester apartment/commercial building this morning.

East Rochester Fire Chief Mike Romach said crews were called to 404 W. Commercial Street around 5:30 a.m. for a report of an explosion.

"Upon arrival, we had heavy fire coming out of the second floor and the roof," he said. "The main part of the wall on the west side of the building was completely blown away, so it was apparent we had an explosion."

Romach said firefighters were unable to enter the two-story structure because it was so unstable, but extinguished the blaze within an hour or so by attacking the flames from outside. More than 75 firefighters from departments including Pittsford, Fairport and Brighton were called to the scene.

"The whole back of the building is gone, so we have a heavy wrecker coming in," he said. "The building is going to be demolished."

Romach said occupants of two apartments in the building's second floor escaped, but a man and a woman sustained serious burns and were hospitalized. The relationship of the man and woman was unknown.

He did not speculate on the cause of the blast. An investigation is under way.

The blast woke Rob Evans, who said he fled his apartment with wallet and keys in hand after seeing the back wall of his bedroom begin to collapse.

"Our neighbor's door was open and I could just see into their apartment that it was on fire and I could see outside because their wall was gone," he said. "So we ran downstairs real quick and pieces of the wall were laying in our driveway."

Evans has lived in his apartment at 404 W. Commercial Street above Frank and Paul Surace Pizza and Subs for nearly 10 years.

"It was pretty surreal. The door to the restaurant was missing and our door to get out was kind of off the hinges," he said. "I just looked up and saw a hole where the apartment should have been and it just sunk in what had happened."

Timothy Murphy, who lives in a nearby apartment building, saw the explosion.

"I saw the apartment caught on fire, the roof caved in and then the walls caved in and I saw the two people in there and I ran and called 911," he said. "I evacuated all the people in our building."

Witnesses at the scene said the people who were injured may have been trying to save their pets.

The family-owned Surace pizza shop was destroyed.

"We've been in business there 32 years," said Paul Surace, his voice breaking. "It's a family shop and it's all gone, it's all gone. I can't believe this has happened. I don't know what to do now."

The Red Cross is providing assistance to displaced residents.

Romach did not release any information about the two people who were hospitalized.

MCDERMOT@DemocratandChronicle.com

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