A powerful natural gas explosion in Massachusetts leveled three buildings and damaged several dozen others, killing none. The 18 people injured by the blast are reportedly in stable condition.

The explosion went off at the Scores Gentleman's Club strip club in Springfield on Friday night, about an hour after a gas leak and odor was reported. Officials had evacuated the area around the club by the time of the explosion.

Gas workers searching for the leak found indications that the building was about to explode, and ducked for cover behind a utility truck alongside several firefighters and police officers. A massive explosion then destroyed the building, raining flying debris over the area.

Nine firefighters, two police officers, four gas workers, two civilians and another city employee were injured by the explosion. Most of the injured were from the group hiding behind the utility truck, which was destroyed by the blast.

Firefighters and rescue crews line the streets in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts November 23, 2012 (Reuters / Scott Eisen)

"It really is a miracle and it's an example of our public safety officials, each and every day, putting themselves in harm's way, taking what could have been considered a very routine call of an odor of gas, but they took the proper precautions," State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said. "And thanks to God that they did."

Preliminary estimates report that 42 homes and businesses in a three-block radius, which houses 115 residential units, were damaged in the incident. The explosion was heard kilometers away, with some residents initially mistaking the boom for part of a holiday celebration.

A restaurant two blocks away from the epicenter had its floor-to-ceiling windows shattered by the blast. "It looks like an earthquake hit. I've never seen anything like it," the restaurant's manager said on Saturday as he assessed the damage.

Blown out windows from an adjacent building are shown in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts November 23, 2012 (Reuters / Scott Eisen)

A spa near the strip club, empty at the moment of the explosion, and another building were deemed damaged beyond repair. Authorities evacuated a six-story apartment building whose floors were buckling, and will conduct safety inspections of 24 other buildings damaged in the explosion.

The state fire marshal's office and department of public utilities are investigating the cause of the blast. Columbia Gas of Massachusetts said it is monitoring the area for other possible leaks, and police officers were deployed to prevent looting in the neighborhood.

Springfield is the largest city in west Massachusetts, with some 150,000 residents. It’s located about 140 kilometers west of state capital Boston.

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