A natural - gas leak caused an explosion early morning at a three - story Super 8 Motel in Phoenix . A guest told the night clerk gas was leaking from the laundry room area . The gas company told the clerk to shut the gas off , which he was attempting when the explosion occurred . He pulled the alarm and called 911 . People jumped from windows and lowered themselves using bedsheets . Two were killed and ten treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns . The explosion threw debris 300 feet and blew out the building 's front . Joan Ganje-Fischer, a spokeswoman for Super 8 Motels Inc. of Aberdeen, S.D., said that after a guest told the clerk that gas was leaking from the laundry room area, the gas company told the clerk to try to turn the gas off. The fire could n't be put out until the gas line was shut off .
A natural - gas leak caused an explosion early morning at a three - story Super 8 Motel in Phoenix . A guest told the night clerk gas was leaking from the laundry room area . The gas company told the clerk to shut the gas off , which he was attempting when the explosion occurred . He pulled the alarm and called 911 . People jumped from windows and lowered themselves using bedsheets . Two were killed and ten treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns . The explosion threw debris 300 feet and blew out the building 's front . The fire could n't be put out until the gas line was shut off .