A massive Natural Gas explosion rocked one of New England's largest cities this evening. A mushroom cloud rose over Springfield, Massachusetts after the explosion that destroyed two buildings and shattered the windows of buildings in a three block radius.

The explosion that leveled the Scores Gentlemen’s Club in Springfield’s bustling entertainment district was felt in the nearby towns of Wilbraham and South Hadley. Springfield is about 90 miles west of Boston.

Eight people were injured in the blast. The reason for the low number of injuries in the conflagration was the evacuation that took place in response to a gas leak report that was responded to at 4:20 pm. The blast occured at 5:25 pm, just before firefighters were about to allow people back into the area. No one was killed in the explosion, firefighters and gas company employees were among the injured.

The area was fairly quiet during the time around the blast, but in a few short hours, the district would have been bustling with people as the Friday night progressed.