Explosion at Gas Station Rattles Rome, Booming Across the City
A fuel tank at the gas station, in an eastern neighborhood of the city, exploded around 8:15 on Friday morning, the Rome police said. The station sold liquefied petroleum gas.
Firefighters and police officers had already been called to the gas station after an earlier incident involving a truck, and they were on the scene when the explosion took place, said Luca Cari, spokesman for the Italian fire service. The cause of the explosion was as yet unknown, Mr. Cari said, and he had no further information about the incident involving the truck.
'We only know that there was an explosion,' Mr. Cari said. After the blast, firefighters were working to douse a blaze that had started behind the station in a parking lot for cars confiscated by the judicial authorities, he added.
The explosion did not affect buildings near the gas station, he noted, but residents have been asked to remain inside their homes.
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