Explosion levels buildings in North Seattle 9 firefighters hurt in early morning explosion at Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood

Clean up work continued Thursday, March 10, 2016, at the site of an explosion that leveled three businesses in Greenwood early Wednesday morning. Clean up work continued Thursday, March 10, 2016, at the site of an explosion that leveled three businesses in Greenwood early Wednesday morning. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 84 Caption Close Explosion levels buildings in North Seattle 1 / 84 Back to Gallery

An apparent natural gas explosion leveled much of a commercial block and injured nine firefighters in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood early Wednesday morning.

Two commercial buildings were heavily damaged after an apparent natural gas explosion south of Greenwood Avenue North at 85th Avenue North.

Eight Seattle Fire Department firefighters and a battalion chief were injured in the blast, though not severely. The eight-man, one-woman crew was responding to a report of a gas leak in the area when the explosion occurred at 1:45 a.m.

The Mr. Gyros eatery and Neptune Coffee cafe were destroyed, as was Greenwood Quick Stop; G&O Family Cyclery appeared heavily damaged, and windows were blown out in the block surrounding the explosion.

This collection of King County Assessor's Office photos shows how...

The fire response was still ongoing at 6 a.m. and Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins said firefighters were expected to remain on the scene through the morning. Fire Department officials said all flames had been extinguished by 8 a.m.

King County Metro buses were being rerouted off of Greenwood Avenue between Holman Road and North 80th Street.

Scoggins asked that people avoid the two blocks surrounding the explosion scene, in part because broken glass will likely be a hazard in the area throughout the day. Crews from Puget Sound Energy also are working at the scene.

Puget Sound Energy crews did two surveys of the area for additional gas leaks and found none, according to tweets posted Wednesday morning.

State Utilities and Transportation Commission investigators are at the scene and will look into the cause of the explosion when the fire scene is secured, according to the agency.

Scoggins also asked that the community support the firefighters who narrowly avoided serious injury in the blast. The chief said they'll be working to recover in the days ahead.

“Please keep our firefighters in your thoughts and prayers,” Scoggins said, speaking at the scene.

Firefighters had been called to the 8400 block of Greenwood Avenue at 1:04 a.m. after a natural gas leak was reported there. The explosion occurred about 40 minutes later.

Nine crewmembers at the scene who suffered minor injuries were taken to Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Corey Orvold said during a 3:20 a.m. news conference near the explosion site. Assisted by Seattle police officers, 67 fire department workers responded to the blast.

By 8 a.m., Harborview spokeswoman Susan Gregg all the firefighters had been released from the hosptial.

Broken glass lined the sidewalks in the blocks near the explosion site, which is situated at the heart of the Greenwood neighborhood commercial area.

The buildings destroyed Wednesday had stood at 8411 and 8409 Greenwood Ave. N. since 1910, according to King County Assessor's Office records. Both were owned by Greenwood Urban LLC, the listed owner of all the buildings on the block.

Windows were blown out of a nearby apartment building, Chocolati Cafe and other businesses on the block. The small fire that followed proved persistent -- firefighters fought it for about an hour following the explosion.

The blast was felt throughout northwest Seattle. Neighbors and late-night revelers streamed to the explosion scene as distraught business owners trickled in to assess the damage.

A gas leak appeared to be the likely culprit in the blast, but the investigation was ongoing Wednesday as investigators waited for the gas to dissipate. Scoggins said he was "sure" that the gas was the cause.

Neighbors have established online fundraising pages at gofundme and Fundly in an effort to help the businesses leveled or damaged in the explosion. At the gofundme page, 106 donors amassed nearly $4,500 within three hours.

Naked City Brewery on Greenwood Ave. N. will reportedly host an all-day fundraiser Thursday to benefit its business neighbors.

"I know neighbors will do everything they can to support these businesses as they begin the long and challenging task to recover and repair from this incident," Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement Wednesday morning. "The city will also be there to do what we can to help those affected with the clean-up and help local business owners as they work to get back on their feet and re-open their doors."

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.

Seattlepi.com reporters Dan DeMay and Lynsi Burton contributed to this report.

