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North Fort Myers explosion sends man to hospital, knocks power out to park

Posted at 10:39 PM, Jan 31, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-01 10:30:42-05

Surveillance video captured the moments an explosion happened in a mobile home park.

It happened Monday at Swift Mobile Home and RV Park in North Fort Myers, with the explosion sending the park into chaos and a man to a hospital with burn injuries.

"It's a disaster. It looks like a bomb blew it up," said Fran Maiolo, who has lived the park for the past decade.

The fire destroyed a mobile home, but not any lives.

Photos from the scene here...

"I'm just so grateful, so grateful that the man made it out okay because he was right there when the tank blew up and that his little dog is okay too," said Maiolo.

The man was taken to a hospital for treatment but his neighbors say they are sorry he'll return to ruins.  "But now he is homeless, he doesn't have a home, no clothes, nothing. He does have a little photo album they managed to salvage," she said.

His friends at the park are there for him.  "We might be a little old park but we are a neighborhood. We take care of each other, we watch out for each other," said Maiolo.

The explosion and fire knocked out power for many at the park.

"The RVs on the inside of the circle that do not have the power but everyone here is helping out," said Marsha Berg, the park manager.

Everyone living in the neighborhood counted their blessings because it could've been far worse.

"We are lucky that the embers didn't go from trailer to trailer, from tree to tree. Honest to God, this park lucked out big time. We could've seen a lot more damage, could've seen a major fire," said Maiolo.