WDIV
Reprinted with Permission

WAYNE, Mich. - A reverberating explosion at a furniture store in Wayne has collapsed the building, leaving one person in critical condition and forcing rescue crews to search for other survivors.


The explosion happened just after 9 a.m. inside William C. Franks Furniture, which is at 2945 S. Wayne Road.

Local 4 has learned that a store employee called Consumers Energy after smelling gas in the area. A Consumers Energy worker did confirm a gas leak and had just called it in when the blast happened.

“Our worker did smell gas and had requested some additional assistance. He was a couple of blocks away when the explosion occurred,” a representative for Consumers told Local 4 at the scene.

The blast shattered windows of nearby businesses and cars. Reports of people hearing the boom and feeling the ground shake came in from communities as far as five miles from the scene.

Consumers Energy officials turned off gas to the area. Wayne City Manager John Zech said crews would be sent in to search for two more people who are thought to still be in the building.

Zech said the store's owner, Paul Franks, was pulled from the rubble and rushed to the University of Michigan Hospital with severe burns.

"It's a sad day in the city of Wayne," said Mayor Abdul Haidous.

Several streets surrounding the store have been closed. They include Wayne Road and Michigan Avenue, Gleenwood at South Wayne Road and Sims at Wayne Road.

The William C. Franks furniture store has been a family owned business in Wayne for 44 years.

Several people Local 4 talked with said the store, and Franks family, are a staple in the community.

A former store employee, and whose husband has worked at the store for 18 years, said she considers the Franks family more than just employers.

“They are like family,” she said. “Our prayers go out to their family because they’ve been there for us just like family … it really hits home.”

The city is using a banquet facility that is located just south of City Hall as a warming center for people who are affected by the gas shut-off in the area.

The Salvation Army is also in Wayne, providing food and water to rescue crews.