A huge explosion at a petrol station in Rome this morning has left at least 21 people injured, some with severe burns, and caused residents to flee their homes.
Shocking footage showed fires raging and a thick cloud of smoke emanating from the site of the blast – a petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) station on Via dei Gordiani in the Italian capital’s eastern Prenestino district.
The punishing explosion, which erupted around 8am this morning, levelled the entire lot.
Clips shared to social media by horrified locals showed blackened tarmac littered with debris at the scene, while a webcam feed managed to capture the mushroom-cloud-like explosion rising over the city.
Emergency services were already at the scene before the blast. They had been called minutes earlier amid reports that a truck hit a pipeline at the service station, Italian news agencies reported.
At least nine police and fire service workers were hurt, five of which were rushed to hospital with significant burns, though no one has yet been reported killed.
One eyewitness told Italian outlet La Repubblica that it looked as though a bomb had gone off. ‘It looked like hell,’ another told La Stampa.
Elisabetta Accardo, a spokesperson for the Roman police, explained that an initial explosion triggered a chain reaction.
‘There were a few chain explosions after the first one,’ Accardo told Italian state broadcaster RAI. ‘All the policemen injured suffered burns, but they are not in danger of life.’
‘We are working on a tank explosion … the fire is still ongoing,’ the fire department said in a statement, adding one of their officers had been hospitalised.
Images managed to capture the mushroom-cloud-like explosion rising over the city
Firefighters work as smoke rises after a gas station exploded on the outskirts of Rome, Friday, July 4, 2025
A huge cloud of smoke rises after a gas station exploded on the outskirts of Rome, Italy, July 4, 2025
A burnt ambulance is seen after a gas station exploded on the outskirts of Rome, Italy, July 4, 2025
Fire department spokesperson Luca Cari later confirmed that one firefighter was injured but ‘not seriously.’ Ten teams were at work on the site, he added.
A damaged ambulance caught in the blast was seen sitting at the scene, with its bonnet and front doors charred.
Rome’s public transport agency Atac said it closed a nearby metro station following instructions from police, who were performing checks at a nearby nursery and sports centre to ensure no one there was hurt.
