Eindhoven man causes explosion while testing camping stove; Building evacuated

A man testing a camping stove in his apartment on Lichtstraat in Eindhoven caused a powerful explosion Saturday afternoon that blew out the building’s facade, Omroep Brabant reported. The incident, which involved gas canisters in the stove, did not result in fire or injuries. The man himself was unharmed, suffering only singed leg hair.

The explosion occurred when the resident attempted to light the stove using a gas lighter. “I had the lighter connected to the stove, and then it happened,” he told Omroep Brabant. “Apparently there’s a defect in the stove, which caused it to react to the pressure like that.” He added that he was testing his equipment in preparation for a camping trip next week, and that he had luckily pointed the stove away from his body.

The blast caused the apartment’s front wall to collapse and fall dozens of meters to the ground. Emergency services responded to the scene, and police evacuated residents of adjacent apartments as a precaution.

Despite the severity of the blast, no fire broke out, and authorities reported no additional injuries. Damage to the building, however, was extensive and left the apartment visibly exposed from the street.