Explosion was “as if a meteorite had hit”

The explosion in Dorf ZH woke many people from their sleep. It was as if a meteorite had struck, says the mayor.

In Dorf ZH an explosion destroyed the attic of an apartment building. – keystone

the essentials in brief

After the explosion in Dorf ZH the house is uninhabitable.
However, the twelve evacuated residents can enter and collect their belongings.
The explosion had woken many residents from their sleep.

Most of the residents of Dorf ZH were asleep on Wednesday night when the explosion occurred: a loud bang in an apartment building on Buchemerstrasse woke many of them from their sleep.

Mayor Patric Eisele was one of them; he lives just 200 metres away. “It was as if a meteorite had hit,” he told Tamedia.

At half past two in the morning, half an hour after the bang, everyone was on the street. This is what another resident said. He himself was woken up by the bang and a scream. When he looked out of the window, he saw the burning house.

A violent explosion occurred in Dorf ZH during the night of Wednesday.

The attic was badly damaged and the house is uninhabitable.

One man was seriously injured and flown to hospital, twelve other people were evacuated.

The cause is unclear, the police are investigating, the residents are gossiping.

A violent explosion occurred in Dorf ZH on the night of Wednesday. – keystone

The explosion destroyed most of the attic of the house. 13 residents had to be evacuated, and a 39-year-old man was flown to hospital with burns. He lived in the attic and was seriously injured.

The twelve uninjured residents have now been able to return to the house. However, it is not possible to live in it; it was so badly damaged that it is uninhabitable, says Eisele. But at least the evacuees were able to collect their belongings.

Dorf ZH: Several hundred thousand francs in damage

In addition to the affected house, debris also caused damage to cars and other buildings. The total damage amounts to several hundred thousand francs.

How the explosion occurred is still unclear; the cantonal police and the public prosecutor’s office are investigating. According to mayor Eisele, nothing has been ruled out, but “it was not a classic fire.”

Has there ever been an explosion in your area?

The residents of Dorf ZH can only speculate: Some told Tamedia that they suspect a gas leak was the cause. One man suspects that fumes that were created when trying to “clean” a substance could have caught fire. He does not believe it was an explosion, but rather a deflagration, as this would have made the pressure wave less severe. Because: “If there had been an explosion, the man would not have been injured, but dead.”