Cigarette lighter sparks blast at Vick's Cleaners

A cigarette lighter left in a pocket apparently ignited while the clothing was being laundered, triggering an explosion that knocked out the front window of Vicks Cleaners early Friday morning.

Nobody was injured in the blast, which occurred about 7:45 a.m. Friday at 2401 W. Fifth, and damage was limited to the steam cleaning unit, nearby light fixtures and the broken window, according to Plainview Fire Chief Rusty Powers.

Vicks Cleaners was soon back in operation and the broken window repaired before noon Friday.

The cigarette lighter was left in the clothing while it was being steam cleaned, Powers explained. There were some flammable solvents being used in the process, and the lighter caused a spark that touched off the explosion.

A few articles of clothing that was being cleaned at the time were scorched in the blast, but no resulting fire. In addition to the damaged machine, light fixtures and shattered plate glass window, the concussion from the blast knocked picture frames off the wall in the lobby.

Ten employees were in the business at the time of the blast, but no customers. There were no injuries, and all quickly evacuated the building before first responders arrived.

It was like a loud boom, one employee commented as she stood shivering outside while wearing a uniform jacket that belonged to Police Chief Ken Coughlin. The blast knocked the pictures off the wall in the front of the building, and one of the girls in back screamed when the light fixture came down right beside her. She said the blast scared employees, and the sound from the explosion seemed to be louder in the front of the building, away from the blast.

No structural damage was apparent to the building, which through the years has housed a number of businesses and at one time was a movie theater. It has been home to Vicks Cleaners for more than a decade.

The sound of the loud explosion could be heard at least a block away said to one employee, who got that report from the owner of a glass company as he was seeking their services to replace a window destroyed in the blast. They said it was really loud inside their building, he reported.

Despite emergency vehicles and first responders surrounding the building in the minutes after the explosion, customers continued to drop off clothing to be cleaned. Several were seen stepping over broken glass and entering the evacuated building to leave dirty laundry on the counter.

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Cigarette lighter sparks blast at Vick's Cleaners