10 hospitalized after propane explosion in South Florida strip mall, officials say

Milena Malaver, Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald on May 24, 2025

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MIAMI — A propane gas explosion in a Florida City bakery on Saturday morning injured 10 and damaged multiple businesses, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and witnesses who spoke to the Miami Herald.

The blast, which erupted around 8:50 a.m. in a strip mall in the 900 block of West Palm Drive, sparked a fire and sent people running as more than two-dozen rescue units sped to the scene. Eight people were taken to the hospital by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Two others took off for the hospital before rescue crews arrived.

Two of the 10 victims were classified as trauma alerts and air-lifted to a nearby trauma center. The explosion caused a partial roof collapse. More than 27 rescue units responded, including canine teams dispatched to search for victims.

“Local businesses were not open at the time, but we did have to call unsafe structures to ensure that the structure of the building was safe,” said Erika Benitez, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesperson.

Florida City police officer J. Cadet was handling an emergency call a few blocks away when he heard the explosion — he thought it was a serious traffic accident. When he rushed over, he saw the flames and jumped into action, helping people running from the plaza.

Neftali Coronado, owner of Taqueria Cinco Hermanos in the strip mall, told the Herald that Palm Bakery, the shop where the explosion occurred, was supposed to be having its opening day, with doors opening at noon.

The bakery, located at 941 West Drive, is tucked into the corner of the shopping plaza, which holds at least seven stores.

Coronado’s restaurant is on the far end of the plaza. The restaurant was closed at the time, but one of Coronado’s cooks was inside preparing for the day and heard a big “BOOM” and felt a shake, prompting him to run right out of the business.

Hours after the explosion, the site continued to draw stunned onlookers. People tried to peer through the shattered glass windows and the blown-out front door. Glass covered the entire parking lot, and most of the cafe’s doors hung off their hinges from firefighters busting in earlier.

By the afternoon, Coronado still didn’t know how much of his own restaurant was salvageable.

“Of course, we are worried that things aren’t going to function, but I’m really worried for our employees and the business,” he said in Spanish.

Another business owner, who did not want to be named, said at least four of the stores in the plaza had been destroyed, including his own. As he looked in from behind the crime scene tape, he could see that the wall in his business was torn down.

His store was also closed when the explosion happened, but he didn’t have much hope that any of his merchandise survived, he told the Herald. He felt lucky he wasn’t inside, but he only sees a bleak future for his business.