Zeist home explosion injures one

One resident of a home on Slotlaan in Zeist was hurt in a natural gas explosion on Friday afternoon. The explosion was likely caused by an old piece of gas piping that was left behind after the central heating system was replaced about two years ago, the Utrecht emergency services office said.

The injured person suffered burns to their legs, according to local broadcaster RTV Utrecht. The explosion caused "considerable damage", the Utrecht security region said in a statement. A spokesperson told the broadcaster that firefighters found a kitchen which was completely destroyed, there were no active flames by the time they arrived.

Several apartments were evacuated as a result of the explosion. "The fire brigade is investigating the damage in collaboration with architectural experts," the security office said.

"It was fortunate that all windows were open, otherwise the damage would have been much worse," a spokesperson told broadcaster NOS.

The old pipe installation began to leak after the natural gas line was connected to the new heating unit, the broadcaster said. It eventually led to the explosion.

The apartment is located above a Van Vuuren fashion retail location. The shop was not damaged.