HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Two people were injured at a Mexican restaurant in Homestead after an explosion that was caused by a gas leak Friday morning, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
The explosion caused La Fondita, located in the 200 block of Southwest Sixth Avenue, to collapse.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said two people were taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center to be treated for minor burns, but they were expected to survive. Relatives identified the victims as the owner and his daughter.
Eddie Squire, who lives near the restaurant, said he heard a "big boom" and went outside to see that it was on fire.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames and turned off the gas to the restaurant.
Division Chief Alfie Hernandez said it appeared that the building was filled with gas. He said something as simple as turning on a light could have triggered the explosion.
Relatives said it was painful to see the family's years of hard work destroyed in an instant.
"It's a family restaurant (and has) been open for years," the owner's grandson, David Espinosa, told Local 10 News. "For it to go down in flames, it really hurts."
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