One injured in Wasilla commercial building explosion

Dec. 12—One person was injured in a commercial building explosion on Sunday afternoon near Wasilla, Alaska State Troopers said. Many details, including the cause of the explosion, weren't immediately clear.

Troopers and Alaska State Fire Marshals Office were notified at 2:29 p.m. of a building explosion on Top of the World Circle, off Knik-Goose Bay Road and West Fairview Loop south of Wasilla, troopers' spokesperson John Dougherty said. Troopers, Deputy Fire Marshals and local firefighter crews responded to the scene.

"The building where the explosion originated was a total loss," Dougherty said. "The explosion also damaged another building on the property as well as some nearby structures."

One person was injured in the explosion and was hospitalized, Dougherty said.

"So far we have one person that was injured — that's all we have right now," said Ken Barkley, director of Emergency Services with Matanuska Susitna Borough. "We're investigating it still."

Borough officials in a Facebook post asked residents to stay out of the area to allow emergency crews access on Sunday afternoon.

Many people reported on social media hearing loud noise, shaking and windows shattering in houses nearby.

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Faith Olivencia lives off Marble Way, a two-minute drive from Top Of The World Circle. Olivencia said she and her husband, Alex, heard a loud boom and felt their house shake violently at around 2:35 p.m.

"Our bedroom door bowed inward and we had some stuff get knocked over. My husband's chair that he was sitting in lifted off the ground momentarily," she wrote to the Daily News in a Facebook message. "We initially thought that a tree hit the house but when we looked around and didn't see anything, we were confused."

Kara Scott who lives three miles away said she heard and felt the explosion in her house as well.

"Our house shook," she said. "It literally felt like it came from the ground up," she said.