Gasoline Spilled into Sewer from Burning Vehicle Explodes in Pleasant Ridge
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 28, 2025)
Pleasant Ridge, MI – The quiet of a Tuesday afternoon was broken was residents in Pleasant Ridge heard the sound of an explosion.
On Aug. 26 at around 4:15pm a vehicle that had caught fire pulled onto Poplar Park. According to the City of Pleasant Ridge Facebook page, “The gas tank ruptured, causing gasoline to run off into the sewer. Then, magnesium in the engine block ignited, creating a very high temperature flame that ignited the gasoline. The ignited gasoline stream ran into the sewer and caused a sewer gas explosion.”
There were no injuries in the incident and the fire was quickly extinguished by Ferndale Fire Department, who provides service to Pleasant Ridge. Oakland County Water Resources Commission has been tasked with inspecting the sewer to see if there is any damage.
(photo: Raquel Beason)
