No one injured in explosion at church
Madison firefighters and employees of Madison Gas & Electric are investigating the cause of a Thursday morning explosion at God's House of Hope, a church located at the corner of Jenifer and Ingersoll streets in Madison.
"Right now, we are just trying to trace the odor to the source," said Lori Wirth, a spokesperson with the Madison Fire Department, but she added that arson is not suspected.
Wirth said the cost of the damage from the explosion was about $150,000. Most of that was water damage in the basement, where a number of pipes burst, but some ceramic objects inside the church sanctuary were broken, Wirth said.
Firefighters were dispatched at 11:34 a.m. when a passerby noticed the broken basement windows, and, upon closer inspection, noted an odor of natural gas. MG&E disconnected gas and electricity to the church.
During the investigation, firefighters learned that neighbors recalled hearing a muffled "boom" sound around 6:50 a.m., but no one had reported it to authorities.
The building was unoccupied at the time of the explosion.
